The routine flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco shattered into chaos in October 2023. Aboard Horizon Air Flight 2059, carrying 84 passengers, an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot attempted to disable the aircraft’s engines mid-flight, plunging the crew into a terrifying struggle for control.
Joseph Emerson, the pilot in question, was seated in an extra cockpit jump seat when he began to express distress. Cockpit audio, now public, reveals his repeated, unsettling declaration: “I’m not OK.” Confusion rippled through the flight crew as they attempted to understand his state, one asking if he simply wished to return home.
The calm quickly dissolved into a desperate fight. Sounds of a struggle erupted within the cockpit, prompting the pilots to immediately declare an emergency to air traffic control. Their message was stark: a jump seat passenger had actively tried to shut down the engines, and an immediate landing in Portland was critical.
“We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit,” the pilot reported back to controllers, a fragile sense of relief in his voice. “He doesn’t sound like he’s causing any issues in the back right now. I think he’s subdued.” Law enforcement was requested to meet the plane upon arrival.
As the aircraft descended, the controller pressed for a threat assessment. The pilot responded that the danger had been contained to the rear of the plane, but had initially reached a level four – a critical escalation. Emerson, now handcuffed in a jump seat, remained surprisingly calm.
The flight landed safely in Portland, and the investigation quickly revealed a disturbing truth. Emerson, a California resident, was grappling with profound grief following the death of a friend. He had ingested psychedelic mushrooms approximately two days prior and had suffered over 40 hours of sleep deprivation.
Lost in a hallucinatory state, believing he was dreaming, Emerson had pulled the engine fire suppression handles, a move that would have severed fuel to the engines and potentially caused a catastrophic failure. He was subsequently charged with interfering with a flight crew, and with 83 counts of endangering passengers and the aircraft itself.
In September, Emerson pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal with both state and federal prosecutors. While prosecutors initially sought a year in prison, the judge acknowledged the human fallibility of even those entrusted with immense responsibility. “Pilots are not perfect,” she stated, “They are people, and all people need help sometimes.”
Emerson, expressing deep remorse, took full responsibility for his actions. “I’m not a victim,” he told the court. “I am here as a direct result of my actions. This very tragic event has forced me to grow as an individual.”
Ultimately, Emerson received a 50-day jail sentence, credited for time already served, along with five years of probation. He was also ordered to complete 664 hours of community service – a symbolic eight hours for each person endangered – and pay over $60,000 in restitution to Alaska Air Group.
