PORTLAND, Ore. — The off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot accused of attempting to shut down the engines on a plane midflight also allegedly attempted to open an emergency door after he was removed from the cockpit. He warned flight attendants at one point that they should handcuff him, and later said that he had taken psychedelic mushrooms, according to a federal affidavit filed Tuesday.
However, Emerson's attorney said Wednesday night that the pilot wasn't under the influence of any intoxicants on the plane.
When police interviewed 44-year-old Joseph Emerson after the plane was diverted to Portland on Sunday, he told them he thought he was having a "nervous breakdown" and had not slept in 40 hours. According to the affidavit, he told police he became depressed six months ago and talked to an officer about the use of psychedelic mushrooms, stating that it was his first time taking mushrooms.
"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 told police, according to the affidavit. He later added, "I pulled both emergency shut-off handles because I thought I was dreaming, and I just wanna wake up."
A separate affidavit filed Tuesday in Multnomah County Circuit Court specifies that Emerson told police he had taken "magic mushrooms" about 48 hours prior to the incident on the plane. He also told the officers he was experiencing a mental health crisis and requested medical attention, and told both police and a flight attendant on the plane that he had just lost a close friend.
It's unclear whether Emerson was actively under the influence of psychedelic mushrooms during the flight; the affidavits do not mention any evidence one way or the other beyond Emerson's own comments to police.
Noah Horst, an attorney representing Emerson, said in a statement released Wednesday night that the off-duty pilot was "not under the influence of any intoxicants" when he got on the plane.
"Joseph Emerson is a caring father, a loving husband, and a skilled aviator who is supported and loved by a vast network of friends, family, and colleagues. He would never intentionally hurt another person," Horst said. "Joe was not under the influence of any intoxicants when he boarded that flight. We will pursue a diligent investigation into all the facts and circumstances surrounding the events and request that you respect the family’s privacy."
State prosecutors have charged Emerson with 83 counts of second-degree attempted murder, one for each of the other passengers and crew on the plane, and one count of endangering an aircraft. Federal prosecutors have charged him by criminal complaint with one count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants, which can carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Emerson was arraigned Tuesday afternoon at the Multnomah County courthouse, where he entered a plea of not guilty to all of the state charges. Prosecutors filed a motion seeking preventative detention, which would deny him any possibility of release on bail. Judge Jenna Plank said his release eligibility would be discussed at a subsequent hearing at some point in the next five days. He's also set to appear Thursday afternoon in federal court for arraignment.
Emerson did not say anything in court on Tuesday. Members of his family were present in the courtroom but were not available for comment. A Multnomah County Sheriff's Office spokesperson said he would be on suicide watch at the jail because he had made a verbal indication that he wanted to harm himself.
In-flight incident
Alaska Airlines said Emerson had been riding in the cockpit jump seat on a flight from Everett to San Francisco when he attempted to activate the fire suppression systems in both engines, which would have caused them to shut down. The plane's two pilots prevented him from doing so, and he was subdued and removed from the cockpit. Emerson was arrested after the flight landed at Portland International Airport.
According to a probable cause affidavit written by an FBI special agent based on interviews with the two on-duty pilots, Emerson gave no initial indication that anything was wrong during the first half of the flight, and engaged the two in casual conversation about types of aircraft and the weather.
When the plane was about halfway between Astoria and Portland, Emerson said, "I'm not okay," and one of the pilots saw him throw his headset across the cockpit, then reach up and pull the two red handles that would activate the fire suppression system.
One of the pilots grabbed his wrist, while the other declared an in-flight emergency. Emerson resisted, wrestled with one of the pilots for about 30 seconds, then "quickly settled down," according to the affidavit.
The pilots asked Emerson to leave the cockpit and he agreed. The pilots then changed course to Portland.
Flight attendants who were interviewed told investigators that Emerson peacefully walked to the back of the plane after leaving the cockpit and told a flight attendant that he had "just got kicked out of the flight deck," then told another attendant, "You need to cuff me right now, or it's going to be bad," according to the federal affidavit.
The flight attendants put him in handcuffs and seated him in a flight attendant seat at the back of the plane. During the descent into Portland, Emerson turned toward an emergency exit door and tried to grab the handle, but a flight attendant grabbed his hands and stopped him, according to the federal affidavit. Flight attendants then tried to talk to him to distract him from trying to grab the handle again.
Another flight attendant said they heard Emerson say things like "I messed everything up" and that he "tried to kill everybody."
Emerson reportedly asked to waive his right to an attorney after he was arrested, telling police, "I'm admitting to what I did. I'm not fighting any charges you want to bring against me, guys," according to the affidavit.
Emerson had pulled the red handles but had been unable to pull them down all the way due to wrestling with the other two pilots, and the system wasn't fully activated.
"If Emerson had successfully pulled the red engine shut-off handles down all the way, then it would have shut down the hydraulics and the fuel to the engines, turning the aircraft into a glider within seconds," according to the federal affidavit.