An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot pleaded not guilty to more than 80 criminal charges on Thursday after prosecutors said he tried to shut down the engines of a jet mid-flight in October.
An attorney for Joseph David Emerson, 44, entered a not-guilty plea for him on 83 counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of first-degree endangering aircraft. Emerson was released on agreed to abide by seven bail conditions for release, including paying a $50,000 bond, having no contact within 30 feet of any operable aircraft, taking part in mental health services, and avoiding intoxicants.
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Emerson previously told law enforcement that he took magic mushrooms approximately 48 hours before the flight and thought pulling the handles to cut off the flight’s fuel would cause him to wake up from a dream. He told investigators that he had been awake for over 40 hours, per court documents. Emerson’s attorneys previously described the situation as him suffering from a panic attack and subsequently taking a “small amount of psilocybin,” which is found in magic mushrooms.
On Oct. 22, Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 reported a security threat involving Emerson, who was traveling in the jet’s jump seat in the cockpit. While in the cockpit, Emerson tried to shut down both of the engines by pulling its fire extinguisher handles, according to the airline. The plane was at cruising altitude when the incident occurred, and the crew quickly reset both handles and restored fuel to the engines.
One of the pilots “grabbed Emerson’s wrists and (the other pilot) reported that they wrestled with Emerson for a few seconds before Emerson stopped and said he was okay,” according to the documents, which also noted that “Emerson was not able to pull the handles all the way down before the pilots intervened.” Flight attendants then placed Emerson in wrist restraints and seated him in the rear of the aircraft. Emerson allegedly tried to pull the handle of an emergency exit but a flight attendant stopped him by putting her hands on top of his, according to the FBI.
Emerson’s next court date is set for Jan. 19, 2024. He originally was charged with 84 counts of attempted murder, but a grand jury indicted the off-duty pilot on lesser charges, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
In a statement on the grand jury indictment, Emerson’s defense attorneys said he “never intended to hurt another person or put anyone at risk — he just wanted to return home to his wife and children.”
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His attorneys said they were disappointed that the grand jury indicted him on 84 counts.
“Captain Emerson had no criminal intent, and we look forward to being able to present a fulsome defense at trial and bring forth all the facts and circumstances to a jury,” his attorneys said in the statement.
