Key points: Joseph Emerson, a former Alaska Airlines pilot, admitted pulling handles that could have shut off fuel to engines aboard a Horizon Air flight on Oct. 22, 2023. He pleaded guilty and received credit for time served plus three years' supervised release; federal prosecutors had sought one year in prison. In state court he was sentenced to 50 days (credit for time served), five years' probation, 664 hours of community service and more than $60,000 in restitution. The flight was diverted to Portland and landed safely after crew members restrained Emerson.
Former Alaska Airlines Pilot Avoids Prison After Attempting to Disable Engines Mid‑Flight
Key points: Joseph Emerson, a former Alaska Airlines pilot, admitted pulling handles that could have shut off fuel to engines aboard a Horizon Air flight on Oct. 22, 2023. He pleaded guilty and received credit for time served plus three years' supervised release; federal prosecutors had sought one year in prison. In state court he was sentenced to 50 days (credit for time served), five years' probation, 664 hours of community service and more than $60,000 in restitution. The flight was diverted to Portland and landed safely after crew members restrained Emerson.
08:11 AM, 11/18/2025Security
Former pilot sentenced to supervised release after cockpit incident
A former Alaska Airlines pilot, Joseph Emerson, will not serve additional federal prison time after admitting he tried to disable the engines of a passenger jet while riding off duty in the cockpit in October 2023. U.S. District Judge Amy Baggio sentenced Emerson in Portland, Oregon, to credit for time served and three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty in September as part of a deal with state and federal prosecutors.
"Pilots are not perfect. They are human," Judge Baggio said. "They are people and all people need help sometimes."
Emerson was a passenger on Horizon Air Flight 2059 from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on Oct. 22, 2023, when crew members subdued him after he pulled two red handles in the cockpit that would have activated the aircraft's fire suppression system and cut fuel to the engines. The flight, carrying 84 people, was diverted to Portland and landed safely after the crew restrained Emerson.
At the time of the incident, Emerson — a California resident — told authorities he had been grieving a friend's death, had taken psychedelic mushrooms about two days earlier and had gone more than 40 hours without sleep. Federal prosecutors said it was "only through the heroic actions of the flight crew" that no lives were lost.
Federal charges against Emerson included interfering with a flight crew. In Oregon state court he faced 83 counts of endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft. In state proceedings he received a 50-day jail term with credit for time served, five years' probation, 664 hours of community service (eight hours for each person endangered) and was ordered to pay more than $60,000 in restitution, nearly all to Alaska Air Group.
Federal prosecutors had asked for a one-year prison term, but the judge accepted the plea agreement that resulted in credit for time already served and supervised release. Before sentencing Emerson addressed the court, expressing remorse: "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."
The case underscores the serious safety risk posed when an unwell or impaired person gains access to a cockpit, and it highlights the crew's swift actions that prevented a tragedy.