Joseph Emerson, an off-duty pilot who made headlines earlier this year for attempting to shut down the engines of a plane mid-flight, has been indicted on 84 counts, prosecutors said on Tuesday (Dec 5th).
As per court documents, the 44-year-old was under the influence of magic mushrooms and claimed to be having a nervous breakdown during the October incident.
Charges levied against Emerson
A grand jury in Oregon has indicted Emerson on 83 counts of recklessly endangering another person — one for each person aboard the flight. With this, he has been charged with one count of endangering the aircraft, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt told the press.
However, the off-duty pilot escaped charges of attempted murder. He is now set to appear in court on December 7, reports AFP.
What happened back in October?
On October 22, Emerson, an off-duty pilot, was on board the Alaska Airlines plane operated by Horizon Air — between Everett, Washington, and San Francisco.
Emerson was sitting in the jump seat of the plane’s cockpit, in line with airline policy for non-working staff.
A short way into the journey from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, the off-duty pilot chatted with the pilots before attempting “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.”
As per a criminal complaint, Emerson told the police, “I pulled both emergency shut-off handles because I thought I was dreaming and I just want to wake up.”
Emerson had lunged for the emergency shut-off handles that would’ve turned off the aeroplane engine fuel supplies, effectively turning it into a glider.
“After a brief physical struggle with the pilots, Emerson exited the cockpit,” said the Department of Justice.
Reacting quickly, the pilots reversed the handles, said Alaska Airlines in a statement.
“Flight attendants placed Emerson in wrist restraints and seated him in the rear of the aircraft,” the Department of Justice said.
“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.”
The off-duty pilot also attempted to wrestle open an emergency exit in the rear of the aircraft.
Emerson, who eventually had to be restrained by the cabin crew during an emergency landing, told the police he had not slept in 40 hours.
He had a conversation with the investigating officer “about the use of psychedelic mushrooms, and Emerson said it was his first time taking mushrooms.”
