Former Alaska Airlines pilot faces federal sentencing after cockpit incident
Joseph Emerson, a former Alaska Airlines pilot, is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court after attempting to disable the engines of a Horizon Air passenger flight on Oct. 22, 2023. Emerson, who was off-duty and occupying an extra cockpit seat, was physically restrained by members of the flight crew. The aircraft was diverted to Portland and landed safely with more than 80 passengers and crew on board.
Guilty and no-contest pleas
In September, Emerson entered a guilty plea to the federal charge of interfering with a flight crew and a no-contest plea to separate state charges in Oregon. His attorney, Noah Horst, said Emerson wanted to take responsibility and avoid further incarceration.
Details of the incident and investigation
After his arrest, Emerson told police he had been despondent over a friend’s recent death, had taken psychedelic mushrooms roughly two days earlier, and had not slept for more than 40 hours. He told investigators he believed he was dreaming and tried to wake himself by pulling two red handles that would have activated the plane’s fire-suppression system and cut fuel to the engines. The flight crew subdued him and restored normal operations.
“It was only through the heroic actions of the flight crew, who were able to physically restrain the defendant and restore normal operations of the aircraft, that no lives were lost that day,” prosecutors wrote in a federal sentencing memo.
Charges and prior state sentence
Federal prosecutors have asked for a one-year prison sentence. A federal pre-sentence report prepared by probation officers, however, recommended time served, followed by three years of supervised release and six months of home detention. Emerson’s attorneys have asked the federal court to impose probation with credit for time already served, arguing the state prosecution imposed substantial punishment.
In state court in Oregon, Emerson was sentenced to 50 days in jail (with credit for time served), five years of probation, 664 hours of community service (calculated as eight hours for each person endangered), and more than $60,000 in restitution—most payable to Alaska Air Group. Half of his required community service may be performed at a pilot-health nonprofit Emerson founded after the incident. Conditions of his state release include drug and mental health assessments, abstaining from unprescribed drugs, and staying at least 25 feet (7.6 meters) away from operable aircraft unless cleared by his probation officer.
Broader implications
The near-miss has renewed scrutiny of cockpit safety policies and the mental fitness standards for individuals permitted in cockpit seats. The airline has stated that other crew members did not observe signs of impairment that would have barred Emerson from the cockpit before the flight.
Emerson has publicly expressed gratitude to the flight crew for restraining him and said the episode forced him to confront mental health challenges and alcohol dependence. The federal court will decide whether to follow prosecutors’ request for a one-year prison term or the more lenient recommendation in the probation report.
