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An off-duty pilot’s alleged attempt to crash an Alaska Airlines jet is being attributed to a nervous breakdown, as revealed in court documents.
The pilot, Joseph David Emerson, claimed to police that he had taken psychedelic mushrooms and was feeling depressed at the time. On Tuesday, Emerson pleaded not guilty to 83 counts of attempted murder in an Oregon court.
The incident occurred when Emerson, who was seated in the cockpit behind the captain, told the pilots, “I am not okay,” before reaching for the shutoff handles, according to the documents. If successful, this action would have activated the fire suppression system and cut off the fuel supply to the engines.
One of the pilots stated that he had to physically restrain Emerson until he stopped resisting and was removed from the cockpit. The entire episode lasted about 90 seconds.
Following his restraint, Emerson made statements to flight attendants indicating his awareness of the severity of his actions. He also attempted to reach for the emergency exit handle during the plane’s descent.
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During his police interview, Emerson attributed his actions to a “nervous breakdown” and claimed to have been awake for 40 hours. He expressed acceptance of the charges against him and did not contest them.
The United States Attorney’s Office is currently investigating whether Emerson was under the influence of psychedelic substances at the time of the incident.
In addition to the attempted murder charges, Emerson is also facing 83 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft.
The flight, which had 80 passengers on board, was traveling from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, California, but was diverted to Portland, Oregon.
Recordings of air traffic control communication captured one of the pilots mentioning the incident and requesting police presence upon arrival.
Passengers on the flight were unaware of the situation until the flight attendant announced the need for an immediate landing, citing a medical emergency.
Investigations are ongoing, and authorities have stated that there is no continuing threat related to this incident.
