Wild new details have been released about the sleep-deprived Alaska Airlines pilot who attempted to kill the engines of a packed plane mid-flight in October 2023 after consuming Magic Mushrooms during a remembrance gathering for his best friend, who had recently died from an untreated heart problem.
Joseph Emerson is due to be sentenced after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors in September, in which he pleaded guilty to a single federal charge of Interference with flight crew members and attendants.
The court has the power to impose a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, although guidelines suggest Emerson should be sentenced to around 12 months in prison, which would be counted as time served.
Prosecutors are, however, calling for him to be sentenced to six months of home detention, but in a new petition to the court, his defense attorneys want this dropped in favor of probation.
The petition contains shocking new details about what led to the events of Alaska Airlines flight 2059, which was operated by Alaska’s regional subsidiary Horizon Air.
Approximately 48 hours before boarding the flight, Emerson had been at a remembrance ceremony for his recently deceased best friend. He was struggling to process his friend’s death, and rather than seeking formal mental health treatment, fearing he might lose his flying license, he took Magic Mushrooms.
Emerson had never taken Magic Mushrooms before, but as he wasn’t scheduled to operate a flight for another six days, he didn’t think this would interfere with his professional responsibilities.
He thought the effects of the mushrooms would wear off within eight hours, but he ended up suffering a rare adverse reaction known as Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder.
Even after the mushrooms had worn off, Emerson was detached from reality and felt like he was in a dream that he couldn’t escape from.
Before boarding Flight 2059, Emerson was convinced his family was in danger and was desperate to get home.
“He believed he was either trapped in a dream or already dead. He got on the airplane because – though he believed the airplane was not real – it was a step towards waking up from his nightmare and seeing his family,” the petition reads.
As the flight was otherwise full, as a pilot, Emerson was allowed to sit in the cockpit on a fold-down jumpseat between the two operating pilots who were flying the plane.
“On the flight home, he became increasingly suspicious that the airplane would never make it home and that he would endlessly fly, never reaching his destination,” the petition continues.
Emerson was convinced that he was in a dream and had to wake up immediately. To do so, he pulled the emergency shut-off handles to both engines. The operating pilots quickly intervened before Emerson could completely shut off the engines and then got him out of the cockpit.
Once in the cabin, however, Emerson thought the passengers looked too calm given what he had just done in the privacy of the cockpit. He once again became convinced he was in a dream and had to wake himself up.
He walked to the back of the plane and saw a carafe of hot coffee in the back galley. In an attempt to wake himself up, Emerson put his hand in the hot coffee before being stopped by the flight attendants.
At this point, Emerson asked the flight attendants to restrain him with flexi-cuffs before he couldn’t distinguish what was real and what was a dream. Moments later, he reached for the emergency exit door handle before being pulled back by a crew member.
Once in police custody, Emerson continued trying to wake himself up, banging his head against the concrete wall of his holding cell and repeatedly hitting himself.
It took several days for Emerson to return to reality. During his time in custody, he came to realize he was an alcoholic and would never have taken the mushrooms if it had not been for the fact that he was drinking.
Emerson has turned his attention to improving mental health resources for pilots and has started a non-profit with his wife called Clear Skies Ahead.
As well as the federal prosecution, Emerson pleaded no contest to 83 state charges of recklessly endangering another person. For these charges, Emerson was sentenced to time served and ordered to complete 664 hours of community service.
He was also ordered to pay Alaska Airlines $60,000 in restitution for the cost of the diversion and has to complete five years of probation. During this time, he is also banned from being within 25 feet of an operable airplane.
This is why we need to develop autonomous FSD-like controls.
Wild that capital M shrooms of the magical variety would be the catalyst to enlightenment of one’s alcoholism
That “He didn’t want to lose his license.” is total crap. He’s not going to lose anything if he self-reports.
He’s just a selfish loser criminal.
I honestly feel bad for the guy. Anybody would be distraught if their best friend had died in the prime of their life. Yes he shouldn’t have been drinking or taking magic mushrooms to cope, but given they usually wear off in eight hours, and he wasn’t PIC for six days, he’d have plenty of buffer. And true, he should have self-reported the mental health issues, but there’s a not-completely-irrational belief among pilots that self-reporting can be a career ending move. And presumably he’d have no idea he’d be affected by Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder.
I can see the decision tree here… and while he definitely made some poor choices, I can see how an otherwise responsible person would make them in the moment. Telling that a) prosecutors aren’t pushing for the max sentence and b) his wife is sticking with him.