A former Alaska Airlines pilot who admitted to trying to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 is set to learn his federal sentence Monday, nearly 14 months after the alarming incident forced an emergency diversion and triggered renewed scrutiny of cockpit safety.
According to The Associated Press, Joseph Emerson — who was riding off-duty in the cockpit jump seat during a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco — pleaded guilty or no contest to all federal and state charges in September. His attorney, Noah Horst, said Emerson wanted to accept responsibility and avoid additional time behind bars.
Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to impose a one-year prison sentence. Emerson’s defense team, however, is seeking probation.
The incident unfolded on Oct. 22, 2023, when Emerson grabbed two red handles that would have cut fuel to the engines by triggering the aircraft’s fire suppression system. The flight crew quickly subdued him, and the plane diverted to Portland, where it landed safely with more than 80 passengers and crew on board.
After his arrest, Emerson told officers he had been overwhelmed by grief following a friend’s death, had taken psychedelic mushrooms roughly two days earlier, and had been awake for more than 40 hours. He said he believed he was dreaming and was trying to wake himself up when he grabbed the handles.
Emerson was charged federally with interfering with a flight crew. Oregon prosecutors separately charged him with 83 counts of endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft. He was released in late 2023 pending trial under conditions that included mental health treatment, sobriety, and staying away from aircraft.
In the state case, Emerson pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 50 days in jail — time he had already served — along with five years of probation, over $60,000 in restitution, and 664 hours of community service.
He is allowed to complete half of that service at the pilot health nonprofit he founded after the incident. He must also undergo drug, alcohol, and mental health assessments and stay at least 25 feet away from any operable aircraft unless specifically cleared by his probation officer.
Federal prosecutors praised the Horizon Air crew in their sentencing memo, writing: “It was only through the heroic actions of the flight crew, who were able to physically restrain the defendant and restore normal operations of the aircraft, that no lives were lost that day.”
A federal pre-sentencing report recommended a far lighter outcome: time served, three years of supervised release, and six months of home detention. Emerson’s attorneys echoed that recommendation, arguing the “robust” state prosecution had already resulted in “substantial punishment.”
In September, Emerson thanked the crew for restraining him, calling it “the greatest gift I ever got.” He said the experience — including the loss of his aviation career — forced him to confront long-ignored mental health issues and an unhealthy reliance on alcohol.
“This difficult journey has made me a better father, a better husband, a better member of my community,” he told the court.
Alaska Airlines has previously said crew members observed no signs of impairment before the flight.
The terrifying midair incident rekindled national debate about mental fitness screening for pilots and the safety protocols governing who is allowed inside the cockpit.
