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A former Alaska Airlines pilot who attempted to disable the engines of a 2023 passenger flight while riding off duty in the cockpit — after taking psychedelic mushrooms — pleaded guilty or no contest to all charges Friday and expressed regret for endangering passengers and damaging his profession.
Joseph Emerson, who was restrained by the flight crew after trying to cut the engines of a Horizon Air flight carrying more than 80 people, reached plea agreements with state and federal prosecutors to take accountability and avoid further jail time, the Associated Press reported, citing his attorney, Noah Horst.
The October 2023 flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco diverted to Portland after Emerson pulled handles in the cockpit that could have cut fuel to the engines. The plane landed safely, according to the Associated Press.
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“What Joseph Emerson did was reckless, selfish, and criminal,” Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Eric Pickard said in a statement Friday. “We should remember how close he came to ruining the lives of not just the 84 people aboard Flight 2059, but all of their family members and friends as well.”
Joseph David Emerson, back, appears in Multnomah County Circuit Court for an indictment hearing in Portland, Ore., on Dec. 7, 2023. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP)
In state court, Emerson received a 50-day jail sentence with credit for time served and five years probation. He faces federal sentencing in November, where his attorneys will argue for probation and prosecutors may seek up to a year in custody, the Associated Press reported.
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“It should not have happened, and I bear the responsibility for that,” Emerson said.
At the time, Emerson told police he was grieving a friend’s death, had taken psychedelic mushrooms around two days earlier, and had gone more than 40 hours without sleep. Believing he was dreaming, he said he pulled the handles in an attempt to wake himself up, according to the Associated Press.
Joseph David Emerson, 44, is arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Tues., Oct. 24, 2023. (Dave Killen/Pool)
On Friday, he repeated that the drugs left him unable to perceive reality, but added, “that doesn’t make this right.”
The airline said the flight crew had not noticed any signs of impairment that would have kept Emerson away from the cockpit, the Associated Press reported.
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“This difficult journey has made me a better father, a better husband, a better member of my community,” Emerson said. “Today I get to be the dad I was incapable of when I had to use alcohol to deal with life as life is.”
But one passenger on the flight, Alison Snyder, said she would never again feel as comfortable flying.
Alaska Airlines confirmed the incident took place on one of its flights in Seattle, Washington. (Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
“Mr. Emerson knew he was not fit to fly, a requirement for sitting in the cockpit,” Snyder said. “Joseph Emerson’s behavior that day showed he lacks the judgment to be a pilot and should never be allowed anywhere near a flight deck ever again.”
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Emerson was charged federally with interfering with a flight crew, and in Oregon, he was charged with 83 counts of endangering another person and one of endangering an aircraft. He previously pleaded not guilty to all charges, according to the Associated Press.
Noah Horst and Alaska Airlines did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.