Bay Area Pilot Accused Of Trying To Down Plane Freed From Jail

BAY AREA, CA — An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to cut the engines on a San Francisco-bound flight can be released from jail pending trial, an Oregon judge ruled Thursday.

Joseph David Emerson, 44, of Pleasant Hill, was arraigned Thursday and pleaded not guilty to reduced charges.

Emerson was initially charged with 83 counts of attempted murder following his arrest Oct. 22 when the crew on Flight 2059 was forced to do an emergency landing at Portland International Airport.

Earlier this week, a grand jury indicted Emerson on one felony count of endangering aircraft in the first degree and 83 misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person.

The release conditions agreed to by defense attorneys and prosecutors in the state case include that Emerson undergoes mental health services, stays away from drugs and alcohol, and does not come within 30 feet of an operable aircraft. His bail was set at $50,000 and he had to post 10 percent of that, or $5,000, to be released, his defense attorney Noah Horst said.

Immediately after his Oct. 22 arrest, Emerson told investigators he was sleep-deprived and had taken psychedelic mushrooms in the days before he boarded the flight as an off-duty pilot riding in the jumpseat of the cockpit.

After the flight carrying 83 passengers and crew members left Everett, Washington at 5:23 p.m., en route to San Francisco, it is alleged he grabbed the red emergency handles which would have shut down the plane's engines mid-air, a co-pilot told investigators.

According to court documents filed in the case, he failed to pull the handles down all the way, averting what may have been a tragedy.

"If Emerson had successfully pulled the red engine shutoff handles down all the way, then it would have shut down the hydraulics and fuel to the engines, turning the aircraft into a glider within seconds."

Thursday in Portland, Emerson's wife, Sarah Stretch, was at the court proceedings. She said she was happy her husband was coming home. Speaking to reporters through tears after the arraignment, he also said she was glad that the case has raised awareness of the issue of pilot mental health.

"I’m saddened that this situation had to happen to my husband and to the people it affected," Stretch said. "But I know that this has created a movement and momentum to help thousands of other pilots."

Horst said his client was expected to be released from jail Thursday afternoon.

According to Horst, Emerson did not fully possess his mental faculties when he was on the flight and did not consciously choose to put people at risk.

“Is he criminally responsible? No. Does he need help? Yes,” Horst told reporters. “Does Mr. Emerson deserve to be home today with his family and surrounded by his friends? Yes, he does.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.