An off‑duty Alaska Airlines pilot pleaded guilty Friday to state and federal charges after attempting to disable the engines of a Horizon Air passenger jet in October 2023 while riding in the cockpit jump seat, court records and prosecutors said.
Joseph Emerson reached plea agreements with Multnomah County and federal prosecutors and entered guilty or no‑contest pleas to all charges, his attorney, Noah Horst, told reporters. In state court Emerson was given a 50‑day jail term with credit for time served and five years of probation; he faces federal sentencing in November, where prosecutors could seek up to a year behind bars and his attorneys plan to argue for probation.
Prosecutors say Emerson, who was off duty at the time, reached for and pulled handles in the cockpit of Horizon Air Flight 2059, a flight that departed Everett, Washington, bound for San Francisco with 84 people aboard and was diverted to Portland after the incident. Flight crew members restrained Emerson after he attempted to manipulate controls that could have cut fuel supply to the aircraft’s engines. The airplane landed safely and no passengers were physically harmed, officials said.
Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Eric Pickard described Emerson’s actions as "reckless, selfish, and criminal," adding that investigators and prosecutors will not forget how close the episode came to causing severe harm to passengers and their families.
Emerson previously was indicted on federal charges of interfering with a flight crew and in Oregon was charged with 83 counts of endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft. He initially pleaded not guilty to those charges but entered the current pleas as part of negotiated agreements, according to court filings.
At his plea hearing Emerson expressed remorse and told the court he accepted responsibility for endangering the passengers and harming his profession. He told investigators at the time that he had taken psychedelic mushrooms approximately two days before the incident, had not slept for more than 40 hours and was grieving the death of a friend. Emerson said he believed he was dreaming and pulled the cockpit handles in an effort to wake himself.
"It should not have happened, and I bear the responsibility for that," Emerson said on Friday, acknowledging that drug use impaired his perception but not using that as an excuse for his conduct. "This difficult journey has made me a better father, a better husband, a better member of my community," he added.
Passengers described lingering fear and shaken confidence in airline safety. One passenger, Alison Snyder, told reporters she would not feel comfortable flying again and argued that Emerson lacked the judgment to be near a flight deck.
Alaska Airlines said the flight crew aboard Flight 2059 did not observe signs of impairment that would have prevented Emerson from occupying the cockpit jump seat that day. The carrier has said it cooperated with investigators.
Emerson’s attorney, Noah Horst, and prosecutors negotiated the plea deals as a way to hold Emerson accountable while limiting further custodial time after he had already spent time in custody following the incident. Federal sentencing rules allow prosecutors to seek up to a year for the interference charge; his defense team told a judge they will press for probation at the November hearing.
The October 2023 incident prompted renewed scrutiny of cockpit access policies and the role of off‑duty crew members riding in jump seats. Aviation safety experts and regulators have periodically reviewed procedures surrounding cockpit occupancy and monitoring of pilot fitness for duty, but investigators said the Horizon Air crew’s prompt action in restraining Emerson averted potential disaster.
Emerson’s case remains pending federal resolution. Multnomah County prosecutors said their sentencing and the criminal record resulting from the state plea would be considered during federal proceedings.
