Off-duty pilot hit with 167 charges, tries to shut down engines mid-air

Off-duty pilot who tried to shut down plane's engine in mid-air, arrested and hit with 167 charges and out of these, 83 are first-degree attempted murder

Alaska Airlines' off-duty pilot travelling as a passenger in the cockpit of a San Francisco-bound flight was charged with attempted murder on Sunday after he tried to shut down the plane's engine mid-air. 

The off-duty pilot, Joseph David Emerson, was travelling to San Francisco from Seattle, and in mid-air, he tried to cut off the fuel supply to the engines. The flight crew successfully prevented the pilot, Joseph David Emerson, from trying to activate the fire suppression system on the plane, which would have cut off fuel to the engines, leading to a crash. 

The flight then diverted to Portland, where the off-duty pilot was arrested. He was hit with 167 charges, including 83 counts of first-degree attempted murder - one for every passenger and crew member on the plane besides himself and one for endangering aircraft.

 

Emerson was experiencing a mental breakdown

According to a Reuters report, the accused informed authorities that he was experiencing a mental breakdown as he had consumed ‘magic mushrooms’ and had not slept for 40 hours. 

Emerson told police about the mental crisis that he had been suffering from, and he had struggled with depression for the past six months. 

However, Alaska Air Group, the parent company of the airline, mentioned in their statement that the employees of the airline didn't observe any sign of impairment during the check-in or boarding process that led them to prevent Emerson from flying.

Flight audio recordings

In the audio recordings of the flight, the pilot could be heard saying that he and other crew members felt Emerson was "subdued" after the incident. The pilot could also be heard informing the traffic control "We've got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit. It doesn’t sound like he’s got any issues in the back right now. I think he’s subdued. Other than that we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked." 

During Emerson's interview with the Police, he acknowledged pulling the handles. He also informed the police that he felt like he was trying to awaken from a dream.

Court documents revealed that he also tried to grab the emergency escape handle while being restrained, however, he was stopped by a flight attendant by placing his hands over him and engaging him in conversation to divert him.