On Sunday evening, a nightmare scenario unfolded, whereby an off-duty pilot seated in the jump seat of a Horizon Air Embraer E175 attempted to shut off the plane’s engines. He ended up having to be removed from the cockpit, and the flight had to divert. Fortunately no one was injured, but this incident has understandably rattled a lot people, as it could have ended very differently.
The Department of Justice has just brought criminal charges against the pilot, and we now have the statements of the pilots who were flying the plane, the flight attendants, and the off-duty pilot. It appears that psychedelics played a role in this unfortunate situation…
In this post:
What unfolded on Sunday’s wild Horizon Air flight
44-year-old Joseph David Emerson of Pleasant Hill, California, has been charged related to what happened on this Horizon Air flight. Emerson is an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 captain, and previously worked at Virgin America and Horizon Air. He was in the jump seat on this flight, as he was trying to hitch a ride, but the cabin was full.
Let me just cut to the chase — apparently Emerson had grown depressed in recent months, and took psychedelics a couple of days before the flight. He claimed he hadn’t slept in a couple of days, and felt like he was losing his mind.
This is such a wild story that I think it’s worth just directly quoting the criminal complaint, which contains interviews with both the two pilots flying, the flight attendant, and the pilot who caused this mess. Let me just post those verbatim, and then I’ll share my take.
What the pilots flying the plane had to say
During the initial stages of the flight, Pilot 1 said there was zero indication of anything wrong, and EMERSON engaged both Pilots in casual conversation about types of aircraft. Pilot 1 advised that the incident occurred approximately halfway between Astoria, Oregon and Portland, Oregon while the aircraft headed south.
While sitting in the cockpit jump seat, EMERSON, said “I’m not okay.” Pilot 2 turned and observed EMERSON reaching up and grabbing the red fire handles and pulling them down. Pilot 1 explained to the interviewing police officer that by pulling the red fire handles, this effectively activated the aircraft fire suppression system used to extinguish aircraft engine fires.
Pilot 1 added that the activation of the fire suppression system would shut off the fuel supply to the engines. Pilot 1 grabbed EMERSON’s wrist while Pilot 2 declared an inflight emergency. Pilot 1 said EMERSON initially resisted him, and they physically engaged for a duration he estimated to be 25-30 seconds, and then EMERSON quickly settled down.
Pilot 1 asked EMERSON to leave the cockpit and EMERSON exited the cockpit. Pilot 1 estimated that from the time EMERSON told the pilots he was not okay until EMERSON exited the cockpit was approximately 90 seconds.
Pilot 2 advised that at the beginning of the flight, EMERSON engaged in casual conversation with them about the weather. EMERSON told the Pilots that he (EMERSON) had been working for the airline for 10 years. Then, during the flight, Pilot 2 observed EMERSON throw his headset across the cockpit and announce “I am not okay.” Pilot 2 observed EMERSON grab both red engine shutoff handles.
Pilot 2 advised that EMERSON had to be “wrestled with” for several seconds before EMERSON stopped what he was doing. Pilot 2 declared an inflight emergency, turned the autopilot off, and changed the aircraft’s course to fly to Portland. Once EMERSON exited the cockpit, the pilots secured the cockpit door. Pilot 2 advised the interviewing police officer that EMERSON was unable to pull the red handles down all the way and fully activate the engine shutoff due to the pilots “wrestling with EMERSON.”
If EMERSON had successfully pulled the red engine shutoff handles down all the way, then it would have shut down the hydraulics and the fuel to the engines, turning the aircraft into a glider within seconds. Pilot 2 stated that EMERSON’s actions interfered with their ability to operate the aircraft.
What the flight attendants had to say
During the flight, the flight attendants received a call from the cockpit that EMERSON was “losing it” and he needed to get out of the cockpit. EMERSON was observed peacefully walking to the back of the aircraft. EMERSON told one flight attendant that he “just got kicked out of the flight deck.” EMERSON said to the flight attendant, “you need to cuff me right now or it’s going to be bad.”
The flight attendants sat EMERSON in a flight attendant seat in the back of the aircraft and placed cuffs on EMERSON’s wrists. During the flight’s decent, EMERSON turned towards an emergency exit door and tried to grab the handle. A flight attendant stopped EMERSON by placing her hands on top of EMERSON’s hands.
The flight attendant engaged EMERSON in conversation in an attempt to distract him from trying to grab the emergency exit handle again. Another flight attendant observed EMERSON make statements such as, “I messed everything up” and that “he tried to kill everybody.” The flight attendant noticed EMERSON take out his cellular phone and appeared to be texting on the phone. EMERSON was heard saying he had just put 84 peoples’ lives at risk tonight including his own.
What the off-duty pilot had to say
EMERSON advised that he believed he was having a “nervous breakdown,” and had not slept in 40 hours. EMERSON said he was an employee of Alaska Airlines and had been a pilot since 2001. EMERSON said he felt dehydrated and tired. EMERSON confirmed that he sat in the cockpit during the flight.
EMERSON said, “I didn’t feel okay. It seemed like the pilots weren’t paying attention to what was going on. They didn’t…it didn’t seem right.” EMERSON also said, “yah…I pulled both emergency shut off handles because I thought I was dreaming and I just wanna wake up.”
EMERSON denied taking any medication, but he stated that approximately six months ago he became depressed. The officer and EMERSON talked about the use of psychedelic mushrooms and EMERSON said it was his first-time taking mushrooms.
EMERSON was brought to the Port of Portland police department. While in custody and in front of officers, EMERSON asked if he could waive his right to an attorney. EMERSON said, “I’m admitting to what I did. I’m not fighting any charges you want to bring against me, guys.”
What a terrible situation…
This is truly such a shocking story, that I don’t even know what to make of it. A few thoughts:
- Huge kudos to the pilots working this flight and the flight attendants for their quick response, and for their work getting the plane on the ground safely; I hope they’re recognized for what they did here
- I guess one silver lining is that this “only” happened while the pilot was in the jump seat, and there were two other pilots in the cockpit, rather than when this guy was in command of an aircraft
- It’s clear that this guy has been struggling with depression and other mental issues, and was exercising very bad judgment; the cockpit jump seat isn’t the ideal setting to come to term with your first experience with psychedelics
- Unfortunately metal health is a taboo topic among pilots; pilots are scared to talk about it because they don’t want to have their license revoked, but little seems to be done to help with this, as pilots are only human
- Of course this guy shouldn’t be in charge of an aircraft, and also needs to he held accountable; but it also sucks that he has probably just ruined his decades-long career, and also faces major legal consequences
As much as most people try to put on a happy face and make the best of their lives, so many people are quietly suffering…
Bottom line
Details are emerging about what happened on Sunday night’s Horizon Air flight, where a commuting captain in the jump seat attempted to turn off the plane’s engines. The pilot had reportedly been depressed in recent months, and used psychedelics for the first time, leading to him not sleeping for a couple of days.
Immediately after the incident he realized he had made a horrible mistake, and he’ll be paying the price for that for quite some time…
What do you make of this situation?
Mushrooms do not affect you 48 hours after usage. Any hallucinations occur in a 4-5 hour period after. Further, those used for depression are of minimal dosage and very rarely have an effect like this.
Either he is lying about when he took them or he is hiding behind depression as a reason he took them when it was actually more recreational.
You are likely correct, but psychedelics are not quite that predictable and depend on individual body chemistry.
"Flashbacks" do occur in rare cases, they have been reported in some cases to be associated with stressful situations, and would fit the reported timeline.
IMO, it's more likely he used them prior to the flight, but we don't really know.
Kudos to the flight crew for their handling of this situation. This individual will, in all likelihood, go to prison, face a hefty civil penalty and will never operate another commercial flight. But if the reports of charges of attempted murder are accurate, well that's just prosecutorial overreach, and I'd be shocked if those hold up. Even if he had shut down both engines, the aircraft was at 31k feet. At that altitude, the flight...
Kudos to the flight crew for their handling of this situation. This individual will, in all likelihood, go to prison, face a hefty civil penalty and will never operate another commercial flight. But if the reports of charges of attempted murder are accurate, well that's just prosecutorial overreach, and I'd be shocked if those hold up. Even if he had shut down both engines, the aircraft was at 31k feet. At that altitude, the flight crew had at a minimum a half dozen potential diversion airports easily within gliding distance, included KPDX, where they opted to divert.
Not sure why you're speaking so declaratively, when you (clearly) do not understand the nature of an Attempt charge.
All that must be shown that he (1) committed the illegal act, with (2) the requisite intent for a given affect, in order for him to be found guilty.
Probability (and even possibility) of success in the attempt, is not mitigation. Thus, the likelihood at the plane could've remained airborne, for a sufficient period of time...
Not sure why you're speaking so declaratively, when you (clearly) do not understand the nature of an Attempt charge.
All that must be shown that he (1) committed the illegal act, with (2) the requisite intent for a given affect, in order for him to be found guilty.
Probability (and even possibility) of success in the attempt, is not mitigation. Thus, the likelihood at the plane could've remained airborne, for a sufficient period of time for pilots to restart engines and maintain control, has absolutely no bearing on the charge of Attempt.
Yeah, I neglected to include IMO in that reply. IANAL, just a pilot. But my point remains, those charges are a stretch (IMO). And I'd be shocked if they held up.
All you just did here was double-down on your initial ignorant-of-the-law stance, lol.
No offense, but the only reason you'd be "shocked" is because you have no idea what you're talking about.
I mean, I'm no Robert H. Jackson... but I have been doing this for the better part of two decades, and can easily say that these charges are WELL within the scope of the occurrence, if indeed what's been made public thus far is an accurate recitation of events.
Um, yeah I thought the phrase "but my point remains" was pretty clear, but thanks for the legal interpretation that I was doubling down. That's the beauty of a free society, I am allowed to hold opinions that are different than yours. I mean, I'm not a political scientist or political strategist, but I do have thoughts on upcoming elections too. Imagine that.
Just so we're clear, if the accused is tried and convicted of...
Um, yeah I thought the phrase "but my point remains" was pretty clear, but thanks for the legal interpretation that I was doubling down. That's the beauty of a free society, I am allowed to hold opinions that are different than yours. I mean, I'm not a political scientist or political strategist, but I do have thoughts on upcoming elections too. Imagine that.
Just so we're clear, if the accused is tried and convicted of attemped murder, or accepts a plea deal whereby he pleads guilty to attempted murder, we'll mark you down as correct. If not, well we'll just say my OPINION might actually have some merit.
I'm aware of all of that, just it's just odd when someone who clearly knows so little on an issue, is simultaneously so willing to showcase it. Very strange.
To me, the best legal practioners are those that can effectively articulate their point without having to resort to personal insults. Your argument, in my opinion, would be more effective if you just presented facts as opposed to attempting to belittle someone else that feels differently than you. Just comes across as very Trump-esque in my opinion. Maybe you'll be proven correct and he'll be convicted of attempted murder, idk. I do know that I'd...
To me, the best legal practioners are those that can effectively articulate their point without having to resort to personal insults. Your argument, in my opinion, would be more effective if you just presented facts as opposed to attempting to belittle someone else that feels differently than you. Just comes across as very Trump-esque in my opinion. Maybe you'll be proven correct and he'll be convicted of attempted murder, idk. I do know that I'd be more than happy to take that bet from "ConcordeBoy"
...strange.
Says the middle-aged man with an advanced degree that calls himself ConcordeBoy.
"An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who authorities said tried to shut off a passenger jet's engines during an October flight was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury in Portland, Oregon, on seven dozen lesser state charges than the initial attempted murder counts prosecutors originally sought."
"He is also facing a separate case in federal court in which he is charged with a single count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants."
Interesting... it seems...
"An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who authorities said tried to shut off a passenger jet's engines during an October flight was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury in Portland, Oregon, on seven dozen lesser state charges than the initial attempted murder counts prosecutors originally sought."
"He is also facing a separate case in federal court in which he is charged with a single count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants."
Interesting... it seems as though my "initial ignorant-of-the-law stance" was backed up not only by the grand jury (state case), but also the feds. Perhaps both groups should have talked to ConcordeBoy before reaching their respective decisions :) You're welcome for the free CLE course.
Any lawyer who thinks 83 charges of attempted murder fit the facts of this case that have been published should return their law degree to the bottom of whatever crackerjack box they found it in.
The shortcoming in these charges is (2).
He had recently passed his semiannual physical. So apparently these physicals aren't screening for mental health???
Physicals are…physical, right there in the name.
"Mental Health" is a VERY broad term and can improve or decline RAPIDLY. I don't place ANY blame on Alaska or the Government for this incident, and it sounds like the Suspect doesn't either and is taking FULL accountability.
FAA physicals are a joke. Most pilots go to a separate doctor to get their FAA physical (not their real primary care doctor), to disclose as little as possible to get the FAA medical sign off. Pilots absolutely avoid ever disclosing mental health issues in that context to avoid losing their livelihood. The FAA basically yanks your license if you admit to any degree of depression, which prevents pilots from getting treatment.
I’m confused about the charges being brought against him. The Feds say it’s “one count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants.” The state says it’s 83 counts of attempted murder. I’d go along with the state charges.
The State and the Feds are legally "separate sovereigns," meaning that both can be charged concurrently. That's often why the charges by one don't reflect the other. There's no need to choose which to "go along with."
That said, it's rare for aviation-related criminal incidents to not be charged Federally, first and foremost.
States will sometimes try their own charges on an aviation case as well, especially if everything from takeoff-to-landing occurred in/over a single state; but they often don't, as questions of jurisdiction can sometimes muddy an otherwise straightforward prosecution.
This is a real problem in some professions, you can't get help with your mental health without jeopardizing your livelihood.... pilots, doctors & nurses... On the other hand, if you're going to experiment with a mind altering substance, perhaps you should do it when you have a couple of days off to see how it affects you?
Wow! So much sympathy for this guy who intended to kill himself and 82 others. Yes, he needs help. No, he shouldn’t have a pathway back into a cockpit, ever again.
He'll never work as a pilot again as it is.
Meanwhile a Republican senator, Jeff Wilson, was arrested on arrival in Hong Kong for carrying a gun. Claims he reached into his bag to get some “ gum”. Gum, gun, tomato tomato
This is not a mental health issue. This is a drug problem.
It is fortunate that Emerson did not resist too much.
I'm not sure that those two things are not related, at least in this case.
My point was that he was carrying a gun, apparently didn’t know, and managed to pass through security and wasn’t apprehended until his arrival.
A vast number of Americans are on meds in addition to carrying guns.
He also claims it was an honest mistake. Lol. Yes. Republicans and guns. Imagine what had happened had he taken it out inflight. It was in his cabin baggage.
Hopefully he gets imprisoned under HK legislation.
Imagine asking before he travelled “ did you pack the gun?” I meant gum. lol
how incredibly, incredibly sad.
The irony is that, by not asking for help, even if by taking a medical leave of absence, he ended his career.
The fact that he apparently was an active pilot for AS and nothing had been apparent up to that point is what is most frightening.
Yes, the FAA needs to have a pathway for stepping aside and getting help as with other illnesses.
Well said and greed. I'm sure there are pilots who read this blog, and would also appreciate their thoughts.
My young niece just got her pilots license and will join the commercial airline industry (she's in a Skywest program), and what she tells me about the many medical reasons to be denied or lose a license is extraordinary...I appreciate the safety protocols, but there needs to be assistance/rehabilitation programs as well.
*agreed :)
This is why in many cases friends and family have to step in. I've seen so many people ignore family member mental issues because of embarrassment. Or they excuse it away like oh he's just tired, need some vitamins.
The problem is that the FAA will yank your license (pretty much permanently) if you admit even mild depression. A lot of pilots would probably benefit from SSRIs for depression, but it's essentially impossible to be a licensed pilot and take Prozac. I wonder if this guy turned to psychedelics because he had no path to pursue conventional medical treatment for depression and maintain his livelihood. Unfortunately, this incident will probably only cause the FAA...
The problem is that the FAA will yank your license (pretty much permanently) if you admit even mild depression. A lot of pilots would probably benefit from SSRIs for depression, but it's essentially impossible to be a licensed pilot and take Prozac. I wonder if this guy turned to psychedelics because he had no path to pursue conventional medical treatment for depression and maintain his livelihood. Unfortunately, this incident will probably only cause the FAA to double down on its current policy.
Great work on behalf of the crew. You couldn't imagine how surreal this must have felt to them while it was happening.
Sadly (and more importantly scary) mental illness (as well as a couple of other health issues) is being mostly ignored by the Medical Industrial Complex. Enough said. Why someone in a job like this would use "psychedelics" to deal with depression, even more so while on the job is just mind blowing.
Those who struggle with mental health issues often make decisions that the healthy (or healthier) population would deem mind blowing. Be careful to not indict those who struggle like this, we need to find ways to better locate, diagnose, and help those people.
The FAA needs to get their act together on pilot depression and provide a pathway for treatment AND re-instatement in either flying or a ground position that pays appropriately for their contributions to their industry. This is not an industry where people should be allowed to silently struggle until they get to this point.
I sense that mandatory 'shroom testing will become a thing in US business very soon.
Was with you the whole way except for reinstatement of flying. What?! Absolutely not - I don't want a clinically diagnosed pilot with depression flying a plane, no matter how well treatment has worked. There's too much at risk to have that.
having no even temporary off-ramp or the possibility of some sort of reinstatement is what is certain to keep someone from coming forward for help.
As with all illnesses, there can be no prediction of the outcome but hope of a better future or some sort of return to normality has gotten a lot of people through a crisis.
Even your license for a short to medium term medical issue doesn't mean you are assured of getting back in the cockpit
Yes but then instead of shrooms they'll use something else precisely to avoid detection. You'll end up with situations like electronic security, endlessly chasing after the security issue that just happened.
Just to note, it's not exactly clear when he took the mushrooms. It is implied it was before the flight, but nothing directly says that.
"The officer and EMERSON talked about the use of psychedelic mushrooms and EMERSON said it was his first-time taking mushrooms."
That is all we have on that. It doesn't say for sure he took it right before the flight.
Agreed, definitely something the police could check. If the poor guy hadn't slept for 40 hours prior to the flight as stated, he could absolutely be having bad hallucinations, no drugs necessary.
Yeah, I'm sure they did a drug test on him so maybe he tested positive and that's why it came up. But the wording from the police report doesn't confirm he took them before the flight, so I think Ben, for now, should edit the headline.
Ultimately nobody got hurt. This pilot does not deserve any punishment in my opinion.
WTF...are you high?
Emerson, is that you?
welcome to the socialist world where everyone is a good person and any harm done was just an accident.
lock em up
Really? ..and what do you do when they get out...?
I disagree. Attempted murder of 83 people isn’t a minor offense just because it failed.
I almost agree except that he did not seek treatment before the incident.
You know a lot of stalkers are let go because they didn't hurt anyone and then they murder who they were stalking.