Shocking audio has emerged from a bizarre airline incident in 2023, when an off-duty airline pilot attempted to shut off a packed aircraft’s engines mid-flight.
The incident occurred aboard Horizon Air Flight 2059, a regional flight operated by the Alaska Airlines subsidiary, en route from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, California on October 22, 2023.
The aircraft, an Embraer 175 with 83 passengers and crew, was at approximately 31,000 feet when Joseph David Emerson, a 48-year-old off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot seated in the cockpit jump seat, engaged in actions that threatened the flight’s safety. Emerson, traveling as a non-revenue passenger, suddenly removed his headset, stated “I’m not okay,” and reached for the two red fire suppression handles located above the pilots’ heads.
These handles, if fully activated, would have deployed the emergency fire suppression system and cut fuel to both engines, potentially leading to a loss of power.
The two active pilots, Captain William A. Steckel and First Officer Nate M. Carsh, responded immediately. Steckel restrained Emerson by pinning his arms, while Carsh activated the aircraft’s emergency procedures, including a mayday call to air traffic control.
Flight attendants entered the cockpit to assist in securing Emerson with flex cuffs and seatbelt extenders, then relocated him to the rear of the cabin under restraint. The crew declared an emergency diversion to Portland International Airport, the nearest suitable facility, where the plane landed safely at around 12:30 p.m. local time. No injuries were reported among the 83 individuals on board, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) later confirmed the aircraft sustained no damage.
NEW: Audio footage released revealing the moment an Alaska Airlines pilot tried shutting off the engines of a plane with 84 people on board mid-flight.
Joseph Emerson was tripping on mushrooms when he tried to crash the plane.
At the time of the incident, Emerson was off duty… pic.twitter.com/7s04K26jyE
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 11, 2025
Emerson, a resident of Pleasant Hill, California, was arrested at the airport. In federal court, he faced a single charge of interfering with a flight crew, a felony carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
In Oregon state court, prosecutors initially filed 83 counts of attempted murder — one for each person on board — along with one count of endangering an aircraft. These were later amended to 83 misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and the endangering charge, reflecting the absence of intent to harm.
Emerson was released on bail in December 2023 under conditions that included maintaining a 30-foot distance from any aircraft, undergoing mandatory mental health treatment, and abstaining from intoxicants.
Investigators ultimately determined that Emerson’s actions stemmed from a combination of factors. He had not slept for over 40 hours prior to the flight and had ingested psilocybin mushrooms — his first time trying the mind-altering substance — two days earlier while on a hiking trip in Oregon.
During the episode, Emerson experienced a dissociative state, later describing it as a hallucination where he believed he was trapped in a dream and dying. He stated his intent was to “wake up” by activating the handles, not to crash the plane
He later expressed remorse in court proceedings and interviews, including with the arresting officer in the back of a squad car. At his federal sentencing on November 17, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Amy Baggio, Emerson remarked, “I’m not a victim. I am here as a direct result of my actions.”
He ultimately entered a plea deal in federal court this past September, pleading guilty to the federal interference charge and no contest to the state counts. For the state case, he received 50 days in jail — credited as time served — five years of probation, 664 hours of community service (eight hours per affected person), and over $60,000 in restitution to Alaska Air Group.
Federally, Judge Baggio imposed time served and three years of supervised release, denying prosecutors’ request for one year in prison but requiring ongoing mental health evaluations, substance abstinence, and a 25-foot aircraft buffer.
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