Pilot Sought To 'Wake Up' From Bad Dream By Attempting To Shut Off Plane Engines: Report

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The Alaska Airlines pilot who faces 83 felony charges and 83 misdemeanor charges for allegedly attempting to turn off engines on a San Francisco-bound flight has spoken out about his magic mushrooms-induced thought process.

Joseph David Emerson, an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot from Pleasant Hill, was arrested and charged after the incident on Alaska Airlines Flight 2059, which was operated by Horizon Air and headed to San Francisco from Everett, Washington on Oct. 22. Emerson had been in a cockpit jump seat — an extra seat in the cockpit typically used by off-duty pilots who are traveling home or to their next departure city, Alaska Airlines had told Patch.

During an interview from jail, the pilot spoke to the New York Times about using magic mushrooms two days before the flight, which prosecutors addressed in court documents. Emerson told the newspaper he believed he was dreaming when he attempted to shut off the plane's engines, which would get him to wake up.

"I thought it would stop both engines, the plane would start to head towards a crash, and I would wake up," Emerson told the New York Times.

Emerson also told the Times he had suffered from depression since his friend died in 2018. A Johns Hopkins expert told CNN that psilocybin, the psychedelic drug commonly known as "magic mushrooms" would likely not have been in Emerson's system two days after taking it. However, some lasting effects combined with depression and lack of sleep could have combined to affect his actions.

The flight's captain and first officer responded to ensure the plane's engine power was not lost, Alaska Airlines had told Patch. A flight attendant handcuffed Emerson, and he reportedly texted his wife, "I’ve made a big mistake" and texed friends "I’m having a mental breakdown."

The flight was diverted to Portland International Airport, where Port of Portland police officers were waiting to take Emerson into custody. At a detention center in the airport, he told the Times that his perception of dreaming continued, and he even attempted a jump out of a window.

Emerson faces 83 felony attempted murder charges, one felony charge of endangering an aircraft and 83 misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment. The pilot told the Times he didn't mean to hurt anyone.

"I don’t know if I’ll ever fly an airplane again," he told The Times.

Several passengers on the Alaska Airlines flight filed a lawsuit against the airline and operating airline Horizon Air, NBC News reported. The three passengers allege that Emerson was permitted to be in the cockpit jump seat and tried to crash the plane. Even after Emerson left the cockpit and the pilots rescued the engines, a flight attendant had to stop him from opening an emergency exit door, the lawsuit said.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Pilot Tries To 'Disrupt' Engines, Faces Attempted Murder Charges: PD
• Bay Area Neighbors Shocked At News Of Pilot's Arrest: Report
• Pilot Took Psychedelic Mushrooms Before He Tried To Cut Engines: DOJ