Joseph Emerson, in focus, had been previously charged with 83 counts of second-degree attempted murder and one count of endangering an aircraft.
The Wall Street Journal
By Talal Ansari
December 5, 2023 8:13 pm ET
An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot accused of attempting to shut down an airplane’s engines midflight avoided attempted murder charges after a grand jury indicted him instead on charges of reckless endangerment.
The grand jury indicted the pilot, Joseph Emerson, with one count of endangering an aircraft in the first degree and 83 counts of recklessly endangering another person, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, in Portland, Ore., said Tuesday. The reckless endangerment counts are misdemeanors and the endangering aircraft charge is a felony, the district attorney’s office said.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office had previously charged Emerson with 83 counts of second-degree attempted murder and one count of endangering an aircraft, to which he had pleaded not guilty. He is also facing a federal felony charge of interfering with flight crew members and attendants.
Emerson was off duty and flying in a cockpit jump seat on a regional flight in October when he told pilots, “I’m not OK,” according to the federal complaint filed in Portland that month. He then allegedly tried to engage the plane’s fire-suppression system, which would have cut off fuel to the engines. After a struggle that lasted about 30 seconds, Emerson settled down, the complaint said, and then exited the cockpit after one of the pilots asked him to leave.
Emerson’s lawyers said in a statement Tuesday they were pleased he hadn’t been indicted on the attempted murder charges, but still disappointed with the charges he now faces. The lawyers said their client thought he was in a dream and his actions were taken “in a single-minded effort to wake up from that dream and return home to his family,” and that he never intended to endanger or hurt anyone.
The airline said there were 80 passengers aboard the flight and four crew members. The flight from Seattle Paine Field International Airport in Everett, Wash., to San Francisco was diverted and landed in Portland.
Emerson told authorities he’d taken “magic mushrooms” about 48 hours before the flight, according to court documents. Emerson also told authorities that he had struggled from depression and that a friend of his had recently died, according to an FBI affidavit.
Emerson is currently held at the Multnomah County Detention Center and is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.
Original article: https://www.wsj.com
Dude needs to make big rocks into little rocks for about 10 years.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that this would-be mass murderer avoided a charge of attempted murder is exactly what's wrong with America today. DISGUSTING!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm no lawyer, but it seems that "attempted xxxx"..murder or anything else, would require intent. It doesn't seem easy to prove that he intended to murder everyone.
ReplyDeleteReckless endangerment sounds just about right..hard to dispute that, and his lawyers will easily prove that he wasn't "in his right mind" or however you want to phrase it.
Wow! You must be a democrat
DeleteOriginal poster again...definitely not a democrat. If I were, I'd be more comfortable with throwing random charges at people that I don't like, as we have seen in new york courts the past few months.
DeleteYou guys are both idiots, lol
Delete"You guys are both idiots, lol" ...truer words were never spoken!
DeleteIt amazes me how some people drag politics into any subject. Shallow.
ReplyDeleteI hope that the stigma surrounding mental illness can be reduced or eliminated.
I also hope that the FAA can find a way to reduce the rigidity in dealing with pilots seeking, or in need of, treatment of mental illness. Some of the more minor issues are quite treatable.
I have flown with a handful of guys that I suspect would benefit from treatment. I have probably flown with more than a few where I had no suspicion of need but the need was there.
Common sense. Thank you for a straight and level comment.
Deletegreed . From what I can gather , the guy was acutely , mentally unwell on top of some less acute problems . Being punitive would not be any kind of justice . There are some very nasty opinions on here , completely devoid of empathy .
DeleteBefore this happened, this guy was a working air transport pilot, something that took him 15 years to achieve. I have no doubt that he accidentally took too much mushrooms two days before he was supposed to (ride not fly) from one airport to another in the jump seat of a 737. This guy had a death in the family and was accidentally tripping mushrooms and didn’t intend for their effects to interfere with his duties. Unwise? Yes. Criminal intent to crash an airplane, probably not.
ReplyDeleteAviation threads seem to be infested with crotchety old (mostly white?) men who have an extreme punishment fetish. Also, hilarious to see Reefer Madness vibes being re-treaded for magic mushrooms. Time is a flat circle.
ReplyDeleteSo is the Earth.
DeleteSorry … I just couldn’t help myself.
Wonder what country we’d be gettin ready to invade if he had a name like say….achmed
ReplyDeleteYeah … but look at the positive side … we would free the ever loving crap out of them.
DeleteAt some point there has to be a difference between intent and end result-In today's legal system any and all actions can be justified and the victims loose out and the perpetrator walks
ReplyDeleteRoot cause here. Compromise of/by individual who rationalized in their mind that rules prohibiting ingestion of judgement-impairing drugs does, and never will apply to them.
ReplyDeleteIts a very old story repeated daily. Most of the time we are unaware of it in persons around us. People are sneaky and hide it well. A clear violation of IMSAFE criteria.
The so-called meltdowns of passengers are often drug/alcohol fueled (deniable responsibility) and amplified by narcissistic desires to make the latest public video feed.
"Look at me. I did something remarkable today and I am not responsible for my actions. I made the latest tube video! Yea!
On the other hand (i) will be a bit forgiving. The fellow did make a huge mistake that will permanently affect his career. Fortunately the flight crew were able to contain the situation. That is why I still think two pilots are necessary. One to keep flying and the other to fight when necessary so the first can keep flying.
Funny, I have (eat) mushrooms frequently. My wife does not like them in her mexican food and tosses them (forks) these into my plate. No halluncinations to report.
ReplyDeleteShe feeds me a lot of steamed broccoli too. Every time I mutter something about how I am going to die of broccoli poisioning.