Alaska Airlines pilot: who is the off duty US pilot who ‘tried to take down’ plane ‘mid-flight’

On Sunday (22 September) Joseph D Emerson was sitting in the flight deck jump seat in the cockpit of an Alaska Airlines plane when he did something which shocked and terrified passenger’s on board. The 44-year-old allegedly tried to cut off the plane’s engines “mid-flight” and has subsequently been arrested, charged with 83 counts of attempted murder.

He was also charged with 83 counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft, according to the local prosecutor’s office. Flight attendants managed to subdue him, placing him in wrist restraints and seating him in the rear of the aircraft. However, as the plane descended, he tried to grab the handle of an emergency exit, according to the court document. The document added that a flight attendant stopped him by placing her hands on top of his.

A federal charge was made public on Tuesday (24 October), which said Emerson made casual conversation with the captain and first officer before trying to grab two red handles that would have activated the plane’s fire suppression system and cut fuel to its engines. The document also added that he told officers he thought he was dreaming when he pulled the emergency shut-off handles, and had been depressed for the past six months.

It was not clear from the court document if Emerson was high on ‘magic’ mushrooms when he was on the plane. An FBI agent wrote in an affidavit that the pilot spoke with police about the use of psychedelic mushrooms and "said it was his first time taking mushrooms".

State court documents say Emerson had taken "magic mushrooms" about two days before the incident. According to the affidavit, Emerson asked police if he could waive his right to a lawyer: “I’m admitting to what I did. I’m not fighting any charges you want to bring against me, guys. I pulled both emergency shut-off handles because I thought I was dreaming and I just wanna wake up.”

Who is the Alaska Airlines pilot?

Joseph D Emerson had a successful career as an airline pilot. He joined the Alaska Air Group in 2001 as a first officer and in June 2012, he left to join Virgin America as a pilot. He became Alaska Airlines First Officer following Alaska’s acquisition of Virgin America in 2016 and subsequently became an Alaska Airlines Captain in 2019.

Neighbours of the 44-year-old told The Daily Mail that he lives with his wife and two young sons in California. They described him as “friendly” and a “fantastic father”, adding that he is “just a great guy” and the incident was “very shocking”.

The captain and first officer told police after the plane landed that Emerson had said, "I’m not OK" just before he reached up to pull the handles. After being told to leave the cockpit he walked calmly to the back of the plane.

He allegedly told a flight attendant: "You need to cuff me right now or it’s going to be bad". While another flight attendant heard him saying "I messed everything up" and "tried to kill everybody".

According to a federal affidavit seen by The Independent, he told police he was experiencing a “nervous breakdown” and had not slept in 40 hours. Emerson said to officers: “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.”

Alaska Airlines said Emerson did not have a history of medical issues. The airline said in a statement: “Throughout his career, Emerson completed his mandated FAA medical certifications in accordance with regulatory requirements, and at no point were his certifications denied, suspended or revoked.”

Emerson had taken his most recent exam in September, Federal Aviation Administration records show, but according to the charging documents, he had long been struggling with depression. Passengers on the plane said a flight attendant told them he had suffered a mental breakdown.