Quick thinking from a captain and first officer saved over 80 lives on a recent Alaska Airlines flight to San Fransisco from Washington State, after an off-duty pilot attempted to shut down the aircraft mid-flight.
Pilot Joseph Emerson was riding in the flight deck jump seat, when he attempted to stop Alaska Airlines Flight 2059. Emerson had been with Horizon Air, Virgin America, and Alaska Airlines since 2001 before becoming a captain in 2019 with Alaska Airlines. On Sunday, Oct. 22, he was merely riding along in the cockpit — not in charge of the Embraer 175 plane — and his mood seemed normal, until he made the choice that would change the course of his life and the lives of everyone on board forever.
Luckily, Emerson was prevented from gaining the controls by the captain and first officer on board, and after some back and forth, he was eventually taken to the back of the plane, then safely removed from the aircraft after an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon.
Emerson has been handed numerous criminal charges concerning the incident, and has already entered a plea. So what exactly did Emerson do to attempt to stop the flight, and what are the charges he is facing now? Let’s take a look.
Who is Joseph Emerson, and what are his charges?
Joseph Emerson is a 44-year-old pilot who is facing 167 criminal charges, 83 of which are felony counts of attempted murder, after the incident on Oct. 22. Emerson boarded the aircraft having reportedly taken “magic mushrooms” within 48 hours before the flight, but he did not appear “outwardly under the influence of intoxicants,” as reported by the affidavit now filed due to his actions on the flight.
Emerson is said to have engaged in “normal conversation” with the captain and first officer before lunging forward after telling the cockpit that he was “not okay” and attempting to pull two red “t-handles” that, had he been successful, would have shut down the aircraft. The captain and first officer wrestled Emerson away from the handles, thereby ensuring that the aircraft stayed in the air. It’s reported that the incident lasted about 90 seconds, after which Emerson was taken to the back of the aircraft until the plane could find a safe place to land.
Alaska Airlines provided a statement to CNN that explains how the captain and first officer were able to save the lives of those on the aircraft:
“The fire suppression system consists of a T-handle for each engine; when pulled, a valve in the wing closes to shut off fuel to the engine. After they are pulled, some residual fuel remains in the line.Our crew responded without hesitation to a difficult and highly unusual situation, and we are incredibly proud and grateful for their skillful actions.”
CBS notes that he was handcuffed for the duration of the flight, and ABC followed up by saying that Emerson himself said if he weren’t handcuffed, things would “get bad,” and that he also attempted to pull an emergency lever during the plane’s descent. Emerson would go on to tell officers that he’d been suffering from depression for the six months leading up to the incident, and had also recently experienced the loss of a friend. It’s also been stated that he believed he was dreaming when he attempted to pull the levers in a bid to “wake up.”
Court documents also say that Emerson states he “messed everything up” following the incident and the charges. He pleaded not guilty to all 167 charges against him, and he has been “removed from service indefinitely and relieved of all duties at Alaska Airlines,” as the company told ABC. The investigation around him continues to try to determine if the incident was something that dealt with drugs, mental health, a mix of both, or something else entirely.
We Got This Covered will keep you updated as we learn more, and we’re sending our thoughts to those on board the flight as they attempt to recover mentally from the turmoil.
