Alaska Airlines Pilot Charged With Attempted Murder Suffered ‘Panic Attack’ Mid-Flight, Lawyers Say

An Alaska Airlines plane takes off from San Francisco International Airport on March 7, 2022. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Lawyers for the off-duty pilot who was charged with more than 160 counts of attempted murder last month, after allegedly attempting to shut off the engines of a passenger plane mid-flight, have said their client “suffered a panic attack.”

Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph D. Emerson, 44, was arrested on Oct. 22; the same day the incident occurred on the plane flying from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, California.

According to witness accounts, Mr. Emerson had been seated in the cockpit jump seat, and engaged in casual conversation with the other pilots on the flight before suddenly trying 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.”

The flight was ultimately diverted to Portland International Airport in Oregon and landed safely.

However, in a lengthy statement on Nov. 15, attorneys for the pilot said their client’s actions were due to him suffering from a panic attack during the flight.

“While on this flight, Captain Emerson suffered a panic attack and the illusion of being in a dream. His actions during that flight were a well-meaning attempt simply to wake himself up from the dream. No harm to anyone was contemplated or intended,” the firm said, ABC News reports.

According to his attorneys, the Pleasant Hill, California, resident had taken “a small amount of psilocybin” two days before the Alaska Airlines flight took off to pay tribute to a friend who recently died.

Psilocybin, also known as magic mushrooms, is generally consumed for its hallucinogenic effects and impacts all the senses, including altering an individual’s thinking, sense of time, and emotions, according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF).

The psychedelic drugs can cause individuals to hallucinate, or see and hear things that do not exist or are distorted, according to the ADF.

Magic Mushrooms sit in a fridge in London, England, on July 18, 2005. Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

Pilot Was Suffering From ‘Stress, Fatigue’

Mr. Emerson “had never taken mushrooms” prior to the incident, his lawyers said, adding, “[o]ther than this incident, Captain Emerson does not use drugs.”

The pilot was also “suffering from a combination of stress, fatigue, and dehydration, as well as untreated anxiety and depression,” the lawyers said, adding that he had been trying to manage his “mental health with meditation and exercise,” due to fear that he “would be grounded and could lose his medical clearance and his job if he sought traditional mental health treatment.”

“Captain Emerson apologizes for his actions. He also thanks the flight crew for their response and for showing him kindness and grace during his mental breakdown,” his lawyers concluded.

The lawyer’s comments come after Mr. Emerson was charged with 167 counts of attempted murder and 83 counts of reckless endangerment, booking records show.

Alaska Airlines ‘Deeply Disturbed’ by Pilot’s Actions

He was also charged by federal prosecutors in a criminal complaint with one count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years behind bars.

The pilot appeared in court last month where he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

According to prosecutors, Mr. Emerson had engaged in casual conversation with other pilots seated in the cockpit area when the Oct. 22 flight was approximately halfway between Astoria, Oregon, and Portland. However, he suddenly 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, Mr. Emerson “exited the cockpit” before being placed in wrist restraints and seated at the back of the plane by flight attendants, according to prosecutors. However, as the plane began to descend, Mr. Emerson tried to grab the handle of an emergency exit, prosecutors allege.

A flight attendant was able to prevent the off-duty pilot from doing so and once the flight had safely landed, Mr. Emerson was arrested without further incident and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center, officials said.

Mr. Emerson told police on the day of his arrest that he had not slept for more than 40 hours prior to getting on the plane and had been struggling with depression, in part due to the death of his friend.

In a statement after Mr. Emerson’s arrest, Alaska Airlines said it was “deeply disturbed” by the incident and that the pilot had been removed from service indefinitely and relieved from all duties at Alaska Airlines.