Former Pilot Pleads Guilty After Attempting to Cut Jet Engines Midflight While Using Psychedelics

A former pilot who prosecutors say attempted to shut off the engines of a passenger jet while riding off-duty in the cockpit pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday, admitting he had taken psychedelic mushrooms and telling pilots midflight, "I am not okay," according to court documents.

Joseph David Emerson made the federal plea in connection with the Oct. 22, 2023, incident aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 2059, which was en route from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco with 84 people aboard, including about 80 passengers. The flight was diverted to Portland, Oregon, after crew members restrained Emerson. Court filings state the entire episode lasted about 90 seconds.

Prosecutors said Emerson told investigators he had consumed psychedelic mushrooms and had been struggling with depression. In state court in Oregon he pleaded no contest to reckless endangerment and first-degree endangering an aircraft and was sentenced to 50 days in jail, which he has already served, five years' probation, 664 hours of community service, and $60,659 in restitution. The community service requirement was calculated as eight hours for each person authorities said he endangered.

Under the terms of Emerson's federal plea agreement, prosecutors may recommend a one-year prison sentence, though his attorneys are expected to urge judges to impose no additional jail time beyond what he has already served. His federal sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 17.

Court documents and witness statements describe crew members wrestling Emerson until he stopped resisting and escorting him out of the cockpit. After being subdued, Emerson allegedly told flight attendants, "You need to cuff me right now or it's going to be bad," and later tried to reach for an emergency exit handle as the plane descended. One flight attendant told investigators Emerson said, "I messed everything up" and that he "tried to kill everybody."

Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Eric Pickard called Emerson's actions "reckless, selfish, and criminal," and warned of how close the episode came to harming passengers and their families.

As part of the state sentence, Emerson may perform half his community service hours at Clear Skies Ahead, a nonprofit focused on pilot health that he and his wife founded after his arrest. He also faces court-ordered substance use assessments, must refrain from using nonprescribed drugs, and is required to stay at least 25 feet from operable jets unless given permission by his probation officer, according to court documents.

Emerson addressed the court, saying that after taking mushrooms he had been unable to perceive reality but acknowledged that "that doesn't make this right." He told the judge the episode prompted personal change, saying, "This difficult journey has made me a better father, a better husband, a better member of my community," and that he now can be the parent he could not be when he used alcohol to cope.

Federal charges related to interference with aircraft and endangering the safety of a flight carry significant penalties under U.S. law. Prosecutors and the defense will present sentencing arguments at the November hearing, where a judge will determine whether to accept the recommended sentence or impose a different penalty.

The case prompted scrutiny of cockpit access and crew procedures after an off-duty pilot was able to enter the cockpit jump seat, according to investigators' accounts. Airlines and regulators have long maintained strict rules about cockpit access and crew vigilance to prevent interference with aircraft operation. The criminal proceedings against Emerson conclude one phase of a legal process that federal and state authorities have said was necessary to address the risk posed to passengers and crew and to deter similar conduct.

Emerson's sentencing in federal court will resolve the remaining criminal exposure from the incident; his state sentence, including the time-served jail term, probation and restitution, is already in effect.