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
