Off-duty pilot ‘excessive on mushrooms’ who tried to close off airplane midair faces sentencing
An off-duty pilot who attempted to shut off a plane midair is set to face sentencing on Monday.
Joseph Emerson, from California, tried to cut the engines during a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on October 22, 2023 which was carrying more than 80 people.
The former Alaska Airlines pilot was sat in a spare seat in the cockpit at the time and crew had to step in to calm the situation. In the end, the flight diverted safely to Portland.
When arrested, Emerson reportedly told police officers he had taken psychedelic mushrooms two days before, hadn’t slept in over 40 hours and was upset over the recent passing of a friend, AP News reports.
During the incident, Emerson said he thought he was dreaming and had tried to wake himself up by pulling the two handles that would in fact cut off fuel to the engine and activated the aircraft’s fire suppression system.
He was charged in federal court with interfering with flight crew, meanwhile he was also charged with one count of endangering an aircraft and 83 counts of endangering another person in a state indictment.
Emerson was released back in December 2023 from custody with the expectation that he stays away from aircraft, doesn’t take drugs or alcohol and uses mental health services.
Emerson pleaded guilty or no contest to the charges back in September and is now set to appear for sentencing.
Joseph Emerson (left), from California, tried to cut the engines during a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on October 22, 2023 which was carrying more than 80 people
Prosecutors have pushed for one year sentenced to prison. Meanwhile the former pilot’s defence have asked for probation.
He was sentenced to 50 days in jail, with credit to the time spent in custody, as well as 664 hours of community service, five years of probation and over $60,000 in restitution by a state court.
Emerson was also ordered to undergo assessments for drug, alcohol and mental health treatment and not use any prescribed drugs.
The former pilot must stay a minimum of 25 feet away from any operable aircraft unless permission is granted from his probation officer.
The court decided that half of Emerson’s community service could be spent at the non-profit he founded for pilot health after the arrest.
Probation officers recommended in a pre-sentence report Emerson service three years of supervised release as well as six months in home detention, as per a memo sent by Emerson’s lawyers.
According to AP News, federal prosecutors asked for a year in prison and said: ‘It was only through the heroic actions of the flight crew, who were able to physically restrain the defendant and restore normal operations of the aircraft, that no lives were lost that day.’
Meanwhile, Emerson’s attorneys also asked for probation with credit for his time served over home detention or prison.
When arrested, Emerson (left) reportedly told police officers he had taken psychedelic mushrooms two days before, hadn’t slept in over 40 hours and was upset over the recent passing of a friend, AP News reports
They put forward that the state prosecution ‘resulted in substantial punishment’.
Emerson has expressed his gratitude to the flight crew for preventing the situation from escalating.
He thanked them for saving his life and those on board and described it as ‘the greatest gift I ever got’.
He added: ‘This difficult journey has made me a better father, a better husband, a better member of my community.’
