Off-Duty Alaska Pilot Who Tried to Bring Down Jetliner Had Taken Psychedelic Mushrooms

The off-duty pilot who tried to shut down the engines on an Alaska Airlines flight on Sunday may have been tripping on psychedelic mushrooms, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit.

Alaska flight 2059, operated by Horizon Air, was en route from Everett, Wash., to San Francisco when Capt. Joseph Emerson, riding in a jump seat in the cockpit, tried to shut down thrust in the plane by engaging an emergency system that squelches fire in the engines. The two pilots wrestled him into submission before he succeeded in “blowing the bottles,” as the procedure is known.

The aircraft made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport around 6 pm, where Emerson, in flex handcuffs, agreed to be interviewed by two Port of Portland police officers. Emerson waived his right to an attorney, FBI Special Agent TaPara Simmons wrote in the affidavit.

“The officer and Emerson talked about the use of psychedelic mushrooms and Emerson said it was his first time taking mushrooms,” Simmons wrote.

According to a separate, state affidavit, Emerson told police that he had eaten magic mushrooms about 48 hours before the incident on the plane.

Emerson, 44, of Pleasant Hill, Calif., told officers that he believed he was having a nervous breakdown and had not slept in 40 hours. “I didn’t feel OK,” Emerson told Simmons. “It seemed like the pilots weren’t paying attention to what was going on. They didn’t...it didn’t seem right.”

Emerson said he pulled the engine fire handles—one for each engine that cuts off the flow of fuel—“because I thought I was dreaming and just wanna wake up.”

“If the T-handle is fully deployed, a valve in the wing closes to shut off fuel to the engine,” Alaska said in a statement. “In this case, the quick reaction of our crew to reset the T-handles ensured engine power was not lost. Our crew responded without hesitation to a difficult and highly unusual situation, and we are incredibly proud and grateful for their skillful actions.”

The Embraer 175 carried 76 passengers, three lap infants, four crew, and Emerson, for a total of 84.

Emerson joined Alaska as a first officer in its Horizon subsidiary in August 2001, Alaska said. He left Horizon in June 2012 to join Virgin America as a pilot. He returned to Alaska following the airline’s acquisition of Virgin America in 2016 and became an Alaska captain in 2019.

“Throughout his career, Emerson completed his mandated FAA medical certifications in accordance with regulatory requirements, and at no point were his certifications denied,” Alaska said.

The incident began Sunday afternoon when Emerson approached the Horizon gate agent in Everett, who approved his request to join the flight as a passenger, Alaska said in a statement.

“At no time during the check-in or boarding process did our gate agents or flight crew observe any signs of impairment that would have led them to prevent Emerson from flying,” Alaska said.

Emerson took the jump seat on the flight deck near the two working pilots and “engaged with both pilots in casual conversation about types of aircraft,” Simmons wrote.

Then, about halfway between Astoria and Portland, Emerson threw his headset across the cockpit and said “I’m not OK,” Simmons’ affidavit says. Emerson reached up and pulled the fire handles. One pilot grabbed Emerson’s wrist and the other declared an emergency. Emerson fought back for about 30 seconds, then “quickly settled down,” the affidavit says.

Fortunately, Emerson wasn’t able to pull the fire handles all the way down, the pilots told Simmons.

“If Emerson had successfully pulled the red engine shutoff 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,” the affidavit says.

One of the pilots asked Emerson to leave the cockpit, and he did. Afterward, Emerson was “observed peacefully walking to the back of the aircraft.”

“You need to cuff me right now or it’s going to be bad,” Emerson said to one of the flight attendants. They put him in a seat at the rear of the aircraft and placed him in handcuffs. During the descent into Portland, he turned toward an emergency exit and tried to grab the handle, the affidavit says.

“The flight attendant engaged Emerson in conversation in an attempt to distract him from trying to grab the emergency handle again. “I messed everything up,” Emerson said.

On the ground, one of the Port of Portland officers asked Emerson if he was trying to kill himself, according to a separate affidavit from Multnomah County deputy district attorney Anthony Dundon.

“Emerson reiterated he was trying to wake up and did not feel like `this was real’ though it felt real now,” Dundon wrote. Emerson admitted to officers that he had struggled with depression for six years and that a friend had recently died.

Emerson was arrested and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on multiple state charges, including 83 counts of attempted murder, one for each person on the plane. U.S. Attorney for Oregon Natalie K. Wight charged Emerson with one criminal count of interfering with a flight crew and attendants. Emerson remains in custody in Multnomah County on a federal hold, pending his first appearance in federal court.