An off-duty pilot who tried to cut a plane’s engines mid-flight won’t serve any more time in prison, a US federal judge has ruled.
Joseph Emerson, a former Alaska Airlines pilot, was sentenced to time served and three years’ supervised release by Judge Amy Baggio in the US District Court in Portland, Oregon.
Emerson tried to cut the engines of a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco in October 2023. Flight crew subdued him, and the plane was diverted to Portland with more than 80 people on board.
The off-duty pilot told police he was upset over a friend’s death and had taken psychedelic mushrooms two days before. He said he hadn’t slept in more than 40 hours.
“Pilots are not perfect. They are human,” the judge said. “They are people and all people need help sometimes.”
Emerson was riding off-duty in an extra seat in the cockpit at the time.
Emerson said he thought he was dreaming at the time and was trying to wake up by grabbing two red handles in the cockpit, which would have activated the fire suppression system and cut fuel to the engines.
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He spent 46 days in jail and was released in December 2023 ahead of his trial, with requirements that he seek help for his mental health, stay off drugs and alcohol, and stay away from planes.
Emerson went to treatment for his “alcohol use disorder” after being released from prison and has been sober since, his attorney Ethan Levi said.
“I’m not a victim. I am here as a direct result of my actions,” Emerson told the court. “I can tell you that this very tragic event has forced me to grow as an individual.”
Geoffrey Barrow, assistant US attorney in the district of Oregon, said 84 people could have lost their lives due to Emerson’s serious actions and that the crew “saved the day by intervening”.
The judge said the case is a cautionary tale.
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Emerson was charged in federal court with interfering with a flight crew.
A state indictment in Oregon separately charged him with 83 counts of endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft.
He was sentenced to 50 days in jail, with credit for time served, as well as five years of probation. Emerson was also handed 664 hours of community service.
Emerson told the state court in September that he was grateful that the crew restrained him.
He said being forced to confront his mental health and alcohol dependence was the greatest gift he ever received.
