A federal court in Portland, Oregon, has ruled that Joseph Emerson, a former Alaska Airlines pilot, will not serve additional prison time for attempting to disable a passenger plane mid-flight. The October 2023 incident involved an Everett-to-San Francisco flight with 80 passengers aboard, which was diverted to Portland after Emerson’s behavior threatened the safety of those on board.
During the 90-second episode, one pilot had to wrestle Emerson to prevent him from interfering with the flight. After being subdued, Emerson reportedly said to flight attendants, “You need to cuff me right now or it’s going to be bad,” and later attempted to reach the emergency exit handle. Flight attendants told investigators that Emerson admitted, “I messed everything up” and “I tried to kill everybody.”
Emerson pleaded guilty to a single federal charge of interfering with a flight crew and had previously entered no contest pleas to state charges of endangering an aircraft and 83 counts of endangering others. He received five years probation and 50 days in jail for state charges. The federal deal allowed him to avoid a potential 20-year prison sentence.
At sentencing, Judge Amy Baggio emphasized the human side of pilots, saying, “Pilots are not perfect. They are human… all people need help sometimes.” Emerson expressed remorse, telling the court, “I’m not a victim. I am here as a direct result of my actions… this very tragic event has forced me to grow as an individual.”
Emerson, 46, attributed his behavior to a mental breakdown caused by hallucinogenic mushrooms, grief over a friend’s death, and sleep deprivation. He stressed that he had no intention of crashing the plane and said, “I wanted to wake up.”
Since the incident, Emerson has lost his pilot’s license and now works part-time as a pressure washer. He has paid Ksh9.3 million in restitution and co-founded the mental health advocacy group Clear Skies Ahead with his wife. He also visits schools to raise awareness of substance abuse and mental health struggles, particularly among pilots.
