An off-duty pilot has been arrested after he attempted to turn off the engines of a plane in mid-flight on Sunday, causing the California-bound aircraft to be diverted to Portland, Oregon. While authorities are still searching for a motive, a criminal complaint in the case suggests the pilot may have been under the influence of a psychedelic as well as in mental distress.
Joseph Emerson, 44, was taken into custody by the Port of Portland Police Department and booked early Monday morning. He is facing 83 counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment, and one count of endangering an aircraft, per the department’s booking records. He is also facing one federal charge of interfering with flight crew members and attendants.
Alaska Airlines Flight 2059, operated by Horizon Air, departed from Everett, Washington, at 5:23 p.m and was en route to San Francisco when Emerson, who was sitting in a jump seat in the airplane cockpit, reportedly tried to take control of the plane.
According to CNN, Emerson attempted to trigger the engine-fire-suppression system in an effort to disrupt the engines, per a memo circulated to the airlines.
ABC News reports that Emerson told police officers that he thought he might’ve been having a “nervous breakdown” and disclosed that he hadn’t slept in more than 40 hours and had consumed psychedelic mushrooms for the first time, per a criminal complaint.
“I pulled both emergency shut off handles because I thought I was dreaming and I just wanna wake up,” Emerson said, according to the complaint.
The Seattle Times reports that 80 passengers were onboard, including two infants, as well as two pilots and two flight attendants. On the website LiveATC.net, which records air-traffic-control transmissions, one of the flight’s pilots can be heard relaying the incident to Portland air-traffic control.
“I’ll just give you a heads-up. We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit,” he said. “It doesn’t seem like he’s causing any issue at the back. I think he’s subdued.”
In a statement, Alaska Airlines confirmed that the flight reported a “credible security threat” from an off-duty pilot with the airline and that the incident was being investigated by both the Port of Portland Police Department and the FBI. The FBI is reportedly trying to determine when Emerson consumed the drugs as well as the cause of his actions.
“The jump seat occupant unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines. The Horizon Captain and First Officer quickly responded, engine power was not lost and the crew secured the aircraft without incident,” the statement read.
