The off-duty pilot who ‘tried to crash a plane’ after taking mushrooms was sentenced yesterday (17 November).
Joseph David Emerson was arrested after the incident on 22 October 2023 and initially charged with 83 counts of attempted murder as well as one count of endangering an aircraft.
The off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot could have received a maximum of 20 years in prison, but a US federal judge gave him less yesterday (17 November).
When he pleaded guilty in September to interfering with a flight crew, he said: “I regret the harm I caused to every single person on that airplane.”
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Having claimed to experience a severe mental breakdown, Emerson told the court before sentencing: “I’m not a victim. I am here as a direct result of my actions. I can tell you that this very tragic event has forced me to grow as an individual.”
Emerson's sentencing
Emerson initially spent 46 days in jail and was released pending his trial in 2023. He was ordered to stay sober from drugs and alcohol, undergo mental health treatment and stay away from aircraft.
His attorney said that he went into treatment after his time in jail and has remained sober since.
In September, a state court sentenced him to five years' probation and 50 days in jail, with credit for time served. He was also ordered to complete 664 hours of community service, with him able to serve half of them at his own pilot health nonprofit, Clear Skies Ahead.
During Monday’s sentencing, a federal judge gave him time served and was told to pay $60,000 in restitution (which he has already paid).
With no home detention required, he must also serve three years of supervised release.
US District Court Judge Amy Baggio said: “Pilots are not perfect. They are human. They are people, and all people need help sometimes.”
Emerson explained what happened
Flight 2059 was heading to San Francisco, California, from Everett, Washington, when Emerson was sitting in the cockpit, off-duty.
And he revealed that two days before, he had taken psychedelic mushrooms with some friends. He explained that they took the Class A drug in memory of a friend who had died six years prior.
Causing hallucinations and distorting reality, Emerson said, with the shrooms’ effects lasting for days, he didn’t feel right when travelling to the airport.
He told ABC News that all he could think about was being home with his family, as fears set in, he might not make it back.
“There was a feeling of being trapped, like, 'Am I trapped in this airplane and now I'll never go home?’,” Emerson explained.
He said that he began believing that he wasn’t seeing reality, and a friend sent him a text advising breathing exercises to calm down.
“That's kind of where I flung off my headset, and I was fully convinced this isn't real and I'm not going home,” he said, recalling his phone reading the text in his ear.
"And then, as the pilots didn't react to my completely abnormal behaviour in a way that I thought would be consistent with reality, that is when I was like, this isn't real. I need to wake up.”
And then two red handles were ‘in front of his face’ as things spiralled and he pulled the engine shut-off controls.
"What I thought is, 'This is going to wake me up'," he said. "I know what those levers do in a real airplane and I need to wake up from this. You know, it's 30 seconds of my life that I wish I could change, and I can't."
The crew rushed to intervene, and luckily, his actions didn’t cause any danger.
If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.
Topics: Mental Health, Crime, US News
Jess Battison