High on mushrooms, he tried to down the plane.
As first reported in TGP in October 2023, an Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 Everett, Washington to San Francisco, California, reported a ‘credible security threat’ related to an ‘authorized occupant in the flight deck jump seat′.
The airplane crew secured the aircraft without further incident.
It soon arose that Joseph David Emerson, an off-duty pilot, tried to shut off the plane’s engines mid-flight after taking psychedelic mushrooms.
More audio from the Alaska Airlines flight where an off duty pilot tried to shut down the engines mid-flight… #AlaskaAirlines #pilot #flying pic.twitter.com/x73c2BLkOi
— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) October 23, 2023
Emerson was arrested and charged with 83 counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment (state charges), and one count of endangering an aircraft (federal charge).
FIRST ON @GMA: Former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to shut down engines in-flight shares his story.
“It’s 30 seconds of my life that I wish I could change, and I can’t.”@GioBenitezhttps://t.co/TThz75SE5q pic.twitter.com/mlGSYe6RpI
— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 23, 2024
Today, almost two years later, it’s reported that he has cut a deal with prosecutors.
New York Post reported:
“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.”
NEW: Ex-Alaska Airlines pilot who forced emergency landing while high on mushrooms pleads guilty in federal and state court
Joseph Emerson was riding in an extra cockpit seat when he grabbed two red handles
These handles would have activated the plane’s fire suppression system… pic.twitter.com/am6s8ddZQL
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) September 6, 2025
“’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’.”
In Emerson received a 50-day jail sentence in Oregon state court, with credit for time served and a five-year probation.
In his November Federal sentencing, prosecutors sought up to a year in custody.
Read more:
Off-Duty Pilot Facing 83 Attempted Murder Charges For Trying to Shut Off Plane Engines Mid-Flight Took Psychedelic Mushrooms
The post ‘Off-Duty Pilot on Mushrooms’ Who Tried to Shut Down Engine of Alaska Airlines Plane Pleads Guilty (VIDEOS) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.