An off-duty pilot who allegedly tried to close down a airplane’s engines throughout a flight advised police after his arrest he had taken psychedelic mushrooms for the primary time, prosecutors say.
Joseph David Emerson, an Alaska Airlines pilot, was arrested in Oregon on Sunday evening and charged with 83 state counts of tried homicide and a single rely of endangering an plane.
The flight crew reported he had tried to close down the engines on a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington state, to San Francisco, California, whereas using within the further seat within the cockpit.
The federal fees additionally say he tried to seize the deal with of an emergency exit after being restrained.
Horizon Air flight 2059 was diverted to Portland, the place the airplane carrying greater than 80 folks landed safely, and the 44-year-old suspect was detained by police.
A federal cost of interfering with a flight crew was made public on Tuesday, which mentioned Emerson made informal dialog with the captain and first officer earlier than making an attempt to seize two purple handles that may have activated the airplane’s hearth suppression system and lower gas to its engines.
After what the flight crew described as a short wrestle lasting round 30 seconds, Emerson left the cockpit, the FBI mentioned.
The doc additionally mentioned he advised officers he thought he was dreaming when he pulled the emergency shut-off handles, and had been depressed for the previous six months.
It was not clear from the court docket doc if Emerson was excessive on psychedelic – or magic – mushrooms when he was on the airplane.
But an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit that the pilot spoke with police about the usage of psychedelic mushrooms and “said it was his first time taking mushrooms”.
State court docket paperwork say Emerson had taken “magic mushrooms” about 48 hours earlier than the incident.
Flight attendants positioned Emerson in wrist restraints and seated him within the rear of the plane, however because the airplane descended he tried to seize the emergency exit deal with, in line with prosecutors.
They added {that a} flight attendant stopped him by inserting her palms on high of his.
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‘I’m not OK’
Asked if Emerson took the mushrooms proper earlier than the flight, Kevin Sonoff, of the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, mentioned that was nonetheless underneath investigation.
The captain and first officer advised police after the airplane landed that Emerson had mentioned, “I’m not OK” simply earlier than he reached as much as pull the handles. They had been capable of cease him earlier than he pulled the handles all the way in which down, the affidavit mentioned.
Emerson walked calmly to the again of the airplane after being advised to go away the cockpit and advised a flight attendant, “You need to cuff me right now or it’s going to be bad”, it’s alleged.
Another flight attendant heard him saying, “I messed everything up” and “tried to kill everybody”.
According to the affidavit, he requested police if he might waive his proper to a lawyer, telling them: “I’m admitting to what I did. I’m not fighting any charges you want to bring against me, guys.”
The affidavit mentioned he added: “I pulled both emergency shut-off handles because I thought I was dreaming and I just wanna wake up.”
Initial court docket look
The incident occurred on a 76-seat Embraer 175 airplane.
As an off-duty pilot, Emerson was authorised to experience within the cockpit’s leap seat.
He is about to look in Multnomah County court docket on Tuesday evening.
Source: information.sky.com”