Off-duty pilot in jump seat attempted to shut down engines on Horizon Airlines flight

Interesting what reporters found at his home. Neighbors are talking, but nobody in the house is responding. If I were to guess, his family isn't at home knowing that they would be contacted by reporters. I kind of feel bad for his family since they didn't do anything wrong.

IMG_4215.jpg


And he's still in jail.

Booking

www.mcso.us www.mcso.us

Booking Information​

SWIS ID841644
NameEmerson, Joseph David
Age44
GenderMale
RaceWhite
Height6 ft 1 in
Weight210 lbs
HairXXX
EyesBlue
Arresting AgencyPort of Portland
Booking Date10/23/2023 04:11 AM
Assigned FacilityMCDC
Projected Release DateUnknown

It's actually 167 charges. 2x83 for attempted murder and reckless endangerment, plus one for endangering an aircraft.
 
Starting to make more sense. He's talking (without an attorney) and said he was depressed and started taking psychedelic mushrooms.

www.oregonlive.com

Off-duty Alaska pilot said ‘I’m not OK’ before trying to turn off plane’s engines over Oregon, affidavit says

Joseph David Emerson, 44, also tried to open an emergency door. At one point, he told a flight attendant, “You need to cuff me right now or it’s going to be bad,” the federal affidavit said.
www.oregonlive.com www.oregonlive.com

According to federal officials, Emerson said, “Yah …I pulled both emergency shut off handles because I thought I was dreaming and I just wanna wake up.”​
​
Federal officials added that Emerson reported becoming depressed around six months ago, and said it was his first time taking psychedelic mushrooms.​

If you can't read that, I've got a limited number of gift articles, so here's one:

 
Here's the full press release from the DoJ. I don't see the actual criminal complaint with the interview that several articles have cited.

www.justice.gov

Off-Duty Commercial Airline Pilot Charged in Federal Court for Interfering with Flight Crew

An off-duty commercial airline pilot, who was arrested on Sunday after he attempted to shut down the engines of passenger plane in flight, has been charged in federal court.
www.justice.gov www.justice.gov

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore.—An off-duty commercial airline pilot, who was arrested on Sunday after he attempted to shut down the engines of passenger plane in flight, has been charged in federal court.

Joseph David Emerson, 44, of Pleasant Hill, California, has been charged by criminal complaint with one count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants.

According to court documents, on October 22, 2023, Port of Portland police officers responded to a report of inbound aircraft that had diverted from its route between Everett, Washington, and San Francisco to Portland International Airport due to an inflight disturbance. Police dispatch reported that Emerson, an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot seated in a cockpit jump seat, had attempted to shut down the plane’s engines during flight.

After landing, responding officers interviewed the two pilots. The pilots recounted that, approximately halfway between Astoria, Oregon, and Portland, after engaging with them in casual conversation, Emerson attempted to grab and pull two red fire handles that would have activated the plane’s emergency fire suppression system and cut off fuel to its engines. After a brief physical struggle with the pilots, Emerson exited the cockpit.

Flight attendants placed Emerson in wrist restraints and seated him in the rear of the aircraft. During the flight’s descent, Emerson tried to grab the handle of an emergency exit. A flight attendant stopped him by placing her hands on top of his.
After landing in Portland, Emerson was arrested without further incident and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on multiple state charges of attempted murder and reckless endangerment. He remains in custody in Multnomah County on a federal hold pending his first appearance in federal court on a later date.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Port of Portland Police Department. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Updated October 24, 2023
 
y_p_w said:
Here's the full press release from the DoJ. I don't see the actual criminal complaint with the interview that several articles have cited.

www.justice.gov

Off-Duty Commercial Airline Pilot Charged in Federal Court for Interfering with Flight Crew

An off-duty commercial airline pilot, who was arrested on Sunday after he attempted to shut down the engines of passenger plane in flight, has been charged in federal court.
www.justice.gov www.justice.gov

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore.—An off-duty commercial airline pilot, who was arrested on Sunday after he attempted to shut down the engines of passenger plane in flight, has been charged in federal court.

Joseph David Emerson, 44, of Pleasant Hill, California, has been charged by criminal complaint with one count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants.

According to court documents, on October 22, 2023, Port of Portland police officers responded to a report of inbound aircraft that had diverted from its route between Everett, Washington, and San Francisco to Portland International Airport due to an inflight disturbance. Police dispatch reported that Emerson, an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot seated in a cockpit jump seat, had attempted to shut down the plane’s engines during flight.

After landing, responding officers interviewed the two pilots. The pilots recounted that, approximately halfway between Astoria, Oregon, and Portland, after engaging with them in casual conversation, Emerson attempted to grab and pull two red fire handles that would have activated the plane’s emergency fire suppression system and cut off fuel to its engines. After a brief physical struggle with the pilots, Emerson exited the cockpit.

Flight attendants placed Emerson in wrist restraints and seated him in the rear of the aircraft. During the flight’s descent, Emerson tried to grab the handle of an emergency exit. A flight attendant stopped him by placing her hands on top of his.
After landing in Portland, Emerson was arrested without further incident and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on multiple state charges of attempted murder and reckless endangerment. He remains in custody in Multnomah County on a federal hold pending his first appearance in federal court on a later date.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Port of Portland Police Department. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Updated October 24, 2023
Click to expand...
It says so right here:

"...After landing in Portland, Emerson was arrested without further incident and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on multiple state charges of attempted murder and reckless endangerment. He remains in custody in Multnomah County on a federal hold pending his first appearance in federal court on a later date...."
 
MolaKule said:
It says so right here:

"...After landing in Portland, Emerson was arrested without further incident and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on multiple state charges of attempted murder and reckless endangerment. He remains in custody in Multnomah County on a federal hold pending his first appearance in federal court on a later date...."
Click to expand...

I was thinking a federal criminal complaint. Like this one.


download
 
I had a look at the complaint and affidavit. The claim on the complaint says it happened over Washington but the affidavit says over Oregon. Probably not a big deal. But the interview quotes are in paragraph 9 of the affidavit.

9. Responding police officers interviewed EMERSON. The officer learned that EMERSON was seated in a flight attendant seat in the back of the aircraft. EMERSON had a pair of flex handcuffs around his hands in front and he was also secured by a seat harness. Officers detained EMERSON and placed him in a patrol vehicle. Officers read EMERSON his Miranda Rights and EMERSON agreed to speak with officers. EMERSON’s police interview was recorded. EMERSON advised that he believed he was having a “nervous breakdown”, and had not slept in 40 hours. EMERSON said he was an employee of Alaska Airlines and had been a pilot since 2001. EMERSON said he felt dehydrated and tired. EMERSON confirmed that he sat in the cockpit during the flight. EMERSON said, “I didn’t feel okay. It seemed like the pilots weren’t paying attention to what was going on. They didn’t...it didn’t seem right.” EMERSON also said, “Yah...I pulled both emergency shut off handles because I thought I was dreaming and I just wanna wake up.” EMERSON denied taking any medication, but he stated that approximately six months ago he became depressed. The officer and EMERSON talked about the use of psychedelic mushrooms and EMERSON said it was his first-time taking mushrooms.​
 
Astro14 said:
Let me add that this Alaskan pilot is lucky to be alive. I am very serious.

If a jumpseater tried to sabotage* an airplane, I would fully support the employment of lethal force to end that lethal threat.

*A clear, unambiguous, and lethal threat to all on board, as well as those on the ground nearby, and if either of the crew had been armed (and many are, google the FFDO program), this could have ended quite differently.
Click to expand...
Agreed. When someone cannot or will not behave, and is that much of a threat, they must be removed from the situation.

We are corporate, fly into unfriendly states, such as NY, and cannot carry weapons. I've considered other options, but don't have any solutions, maybe some zip ties for handcuffs? We fly a family, and don't have risk. Even so, there could be somebody we don't know, out on the ramp, hell-bent on acting up.
 
y_p_w said:
I don't believe most pilots prepare for the possibility that a jump seat passenger is going to try and interfere with their flight.
Click to expand...
There should be a simple rule of no one but the flight's designated on-duty pilots allowed in the cockpit unless they declare an emergency and invite someone in to help with the emergency. I'm surprised that isn't already a rule. Isn't that what the reinforced door is for?
 
mk378 said:
There should be a simple rule of no one but the flight's designated on-duty pilots allowed in the cockpit unless they declare an emergency and invite someone in to help with the emergency. I'm surprised that isn't already a rule. Isn't that what the reinforced door is for?
Click to expand...
Remember Germanwings 9525?

Guess who got locked out of the flight deck (reinforced door )?

Edit: If there was an "off-duty pilot" in the jumpseat, that unfortunate situation would never have happened.

What's next, banning flight attendants from entering the flight deck?
 
Last edited:
fdcg27 said:
I would be willing to wager a paycheck that this guy had some sort of mental break, perhaps enhanced by the use of what may have been a perfectly legal prescription drug.
Nobody taking should be using any psychotropic without being honest with the prescribing physician as well as having a full grasp of potential side effects and this guy may have been.
Wonderful that the flight was saved from disaster by its two pilots.
Click to expand...
It was my understanding that he was high on mushrooms. Not a joke!
 
Yah lets make psychedelic mushrooms legal.............not...........
I guess they hold promise for PTSD, and other issues. But when a drug can make you do that, holy cow.
 
mk378 said:
There should be a simple rule of no one but the flight's designated on-duty pilots allowed in the cockpit unless they declare an emergency and invite someone in to help with the emergency. I'm surprised that isn't already a rule. Isn't that what the reinforced door is for?
Click to expand...
That simple rule would destroy the industry. We have a government background check and screening system, known as CASS. It was implemented after 9-11.

Without the ability to offer fellow pilots a ride, many pilots would be unable to get to work.

So, your simple rule is the kind of knee-jerk foolishness that we are already lobbying the government to avoid. “Let’s just ban everything“ is rarely a successful approach.

Frankly, we still don’t know exactly what happened in this case. So let’s not rush to conclusions, or seek to ban a critical part of the profession.

Crew Travel - COVID-19 - ALPA

KCM, CASS, and Jumpseat Availability to Furloughed and Terminated Pilots
www.alpa.org
 
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