A former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to disable a passenger jet’s engines while riding in a cockpit jump seat will avoid prison time.
Joseph Emerson, 46, was sentenced in Portland federal court Monday, Nov. 17, to the 46 days he previously spent in custody, along with three years of supervised release.
It followed his guilty plea to interference with flight crew members, a federal charge stemming from the October 2023 Horizon Air flight where he attempted to pull the engine fire suppression handles midair.
Emerson was traveling off-duty in the cockpit jump seat on a flight from Everett to San Francisco when he reached for the controls that would have cut fuel to both engines, prosecutors said. Flight crews physically restrained him and diverted the aircraft to Portland, where Emerson was arrested.
According to federal filings, Emerson told investigators he was in a drug-induced psychosis after taking psilocybin mushrooms two days before the flight and believed he needed to “wake up” from a dream. He later apologized in court, saying, “I regret the harm that I caused… They gave me a gift of saving my life.”
The government sought a one-year prison sentence, arguing that “actions have consequences,” but ultimately did not oppose time served after Emerson paid nearly $60,000 in restitution to Alaska Airlines.
Prosecutors credited the crew for preventing a disaster, writing that the situation could have been catastrophic if not for their “heroic actions.”
Emerson previously pleaded no contest to state charges in Oregon and received time served, five years of probation, and 600 hours of community service. He is also barred from being within 25 feet of any operable aircraft as part of his state sentence.
His attorneys said Emerson has been sober for two years, has lost his pilot certifications, and is now training to become a substance abuse counselor. They argued that removing him from the community would be counterproductive, and several pilots — including one who helped restrain him — testified that prison time would discourage others in the aviation industry from seeking mental health support.
Emerson and his wife have since founded Clear Skies Ahead, a nonprofit focused on pilot mental health.
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