Former Pilot Pleads Guilty After Attempting to Cut Plane Engines Midflight Following Use of Psychedelic Mushrooms

A former pilot who tried to shut off the engines of an Alaska Airlines jet while riding off-duty in the cockpit pleaded guilty in federal court Friday, acknowledging he had taken psychedelic mushrooms and saying he had been struggling with depression.

Joseph David Emerson pleaded guilty to federal charges alleging he attempted to endanger an aircraft during the Oct. 22, 2023, flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco. The flight, Alaska Airlines Flight 2059, was diverted to Portland, Oregon. The criminal complaint says the episode lasted about 90 seconds and involved Emerson telling pilots, "I am not okay," before attempting to disable the engines.

In a state proceeding in Oregon, Emerson pleaded no-contest to reckless endangerment and first-degree endangering an aircraft and was sentenced to 50 days in jail, a term he has already served, as well as five years' probation and 664 hours of community service — calculated as eight hours for each person the authorities said he endangered. He was also ordered to pay $60,659 in restitution. Under the federal plea agreement prosecutors may recommend a one-year prison term, while defense attorneys are expected to argue for no additional jail time. Federal sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 17.

Court documents and investigators' accounts say one pilot wrestled with Emerson until he stopped resisting and was escorted out of the cockpit. After being subdued, the complaint says Emerson told flight attendants, "You need to cuff me right now or it's going to be bad," and later reached for an emergency exit handle during the aircraft's descent. A flight attendant reported overhearing Emerson say, "I messed everything up" and that he had "tried to kill everybody." The incident occurred with 80 passengers aboard and a total of 84 people on the aircraft, according to reports.

Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Eric Pickard said Emerson's actions were "reckless, selfish, and criminal," and warned of how close the incident came to causing harm to passengers and their families. In federal court Emerson told the judge he had been unable to perceive reality after ingesting the mushrooms but added, "that doesn't make this right." He also said the experience had led him to change, telling the court, "This difficult journey has made me a better father, a better husband, a better member of my community." He said he has sought to address alcohol use as a way of coping.

As part of his state sentence, Emerson may perform half of his community service hours at Clear Skies Ahead, a nonprofit focused on pilot health that he and his wife founded after his arrest. Conditions attached to his probation include assessment for drug and alcohol use, a prohibition on using non-prescribed drugs, and a requirement to stay at least 25 feet away from operable jets unless granted express permission by his probation officer.

The case has drawn attention to the risks posed by impairment in aviation settings and to the broader topic of pilot mental health and substance use. Prosecutors have said Emerson's conduct endangered passengers and crew and interfered with the safe operation of the aircraft. The federal plea resolves the criminal prosecution at the national level; the pending sentencing will determine whether Emerson receives additional incarceration beyond the state penalties he has already served.