US EditionCockpit Audio, Dash Cam Video Reveals Chaos as Off-Duty Pilot Tried to Shut Off Engines in 2023
Joseph Emerson, who had taken psychedelic mushrooms and was sleep-deprived, tried to shut down the engines midflight; flight diverted safely to Portland, Oregon, officials said.
- Years ago, former off‑duty Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph Emerson reached for the cockpit fire‑suppression handles aboard Horizon Flight 2059, forcing an emergency landing at Portland International Airport.
- Investigators say Emerson had taken psychedelic mushrooms two days before the incident and hadn't slept in 48 hours, and he told them he thought he was dreaming and was trying to `wake up`.
- Alarms and crew exchanges in the recording show the Aircraft Alert System saying `Throttle, throttle, throttle...`, cockpit audio capturing expletives, and crew asking `What's that?` amid confusion.
- Emerson later spent 46 days in jail and was released pending trial in December 2023 with conditions, and last month U.S. District Judge Amy Baggio sentenced him to time served and three years of supervised release after he paid $60,000 in restitution.
- The sentencing judge said the case is a `cautionary tale` about air safety and drugs, while Emerson and his wife launched a non‑profit and he attends daily recovery meetings.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Wild new cockpit audio reveals moment Alaska Airlines pilot tried to crash plane mid-flight: ‘Just tried to shut our engines off’
Chilling cockpit audio and dashcam footage sheds new light on the moments former Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph Emerson attempted to bring down a commercial flight with 84 people on board by shutting down its engines in October, 2023.
Flight deck audio reveals details on ex-Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to shut plane's engines off mid-flight
Joseph Emerson pleaded guilty to a federal charge of interfering with a flight crew and pleaded no contest to state charges of endangering an aircraft and 83 counts of endangering another person.
New audio shows off-duty pilot tried to shut down plane’s engines mid-flight
Newly released audio reveals the moment an off-duty pilot tried to shut off engines on an Alaska Airlines flight in 2023. The flight crew was able to subdue Joseph Emerson – a former Alaska Airlines pilot who later said he had a nervous breakdown – and made a safe emergency landing.
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