An off-duty airline pilot riding in an extra cockpit seat on a Horizon Air flight said 'I'm not OK' just before trying to cut the engines midflight and later told police he had been struggling with depression, according to charging documents made public Tuesday.
An off-duty airline pilot riding in an extra cockpit seat on a Horizon Air flight said "I'm not OK" just before trying to cut the engines midflight and later told police he had been struggling with depression, according to charging documents made public Tuesday.
Police reported that Emerson did not appear to be intoxicated at the time of the interview, and in a statement Tuesday, Alaska Airlines, which owns Horizon, said neither the gate agents nor flight crew noticed any signs of impairment that might have barred him from the flight. An FBI agent wrote in a probable cause affidavit in support of the federal charge that Emerson "said it was his first-time taking mushrooms.
The FBI affidavit said Emerson, who as an off-duty pilot was authorized to ride in the cockpit's jump seat, made casual conversation with the captain and first officer when the plane was between Astoria, Oregon, and Portland, before trying to grab two red handles that would have activated the plane's fire suppression system and cut off fuel to its engines.
The captain and first officer told police after the plane landed that Emerson said "I'm not OK" just before he reached up to pull the handles. They were able to stop him before he pulled the handles all the way down, the affidavit said. He also told them he thought he was having a nervous breakdown and said: "I pulled both emergency shut off handles because I thought I was dreaming and I just wanna wake up," according to the affidavit.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to crash plane may have taken psychedelic mushroomsThis is additional taxonomy that helps us with analytics
Read more »
Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to shut off plane's enginesThe pilot was aboard a Horizon Airlines flight from Seattle to San Francisco when he is accused of trying to take over the aircraft, the airline said.
Read more »
Pilot accused of trying to shut plane engines off took 'magic mushrooms' 48 hours earlierThe Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to shut a plane's engines off midflight appeared in court Tuesday. According to court documents, he told authorities he had been depressed in recent years and took 'magic mushrooms' about 48 hours before the incident. Kris Van Cleave has the latest.
Read more »
Bay Area pilot who allegedly tried to crash Alaska Airlines plane thought he was dreaming: documentsAccording to court documents, Joseph Emerson told police he hadn't slept in 40 hours and started suffering from depression six months ago. He also told flight attendants to restrain him after he allegedly tried to shut off the plane's engines.
Read more »
Off-duty pilot charged after trying to stop plane engines midflightA plane had to be diverted to PDX after the off-duty pilot tried to shut down the engines mid-flight. He was subdued by the flight crew, according to the FAA.
Read more »
Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot facing attempted murder charges rode in plane's jump seatThe off-duty guest pilot was inside the cockpit, in what's called the jump seat, behind the pilot and co-pilot. Several reports say he tried to pull the fire suppression handle.
Read more »