Bay Area Pilot Indicted On 83 Misdemeanor Counts, Endangering Aircraft

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — A pilot from Contra Costa County has been indicted by a grand jury on lesser charges related to an Oct. 22 incident aboard an Alaska Airlines flight.

Grand jurors indicted Joseph David Emerson, 44, of Pleasant Hill, on 84 charges, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced Tuesday.

The grand jury returned a true bill alleging one felony count of endangering aircraft in the first degree and 83 misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person — meaning Emerson no longer faces 83 counts of felony attempted murder that were initially filed against him.

On Sunday, Oct. 22, Horizon Air Flight 2059 was traveling from Everett, Washington to San Francisco but did an emergency landing at the Portland International Airport after it is alleged Emerson —off-duty and riding in the "jump seat" in the cockpit — tried to bring the plane down by shutting off its engines.

"The Horizon captain and first officer quickly responded, engine power was not lost and the crew secured the aircraft without incident," Alaska Airlines said in a statement issued shortly after the incident.

When the plane landed in Portland, Emerson was detained by Port of Portland Police and booked into Multnomah County jail.

He remains in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center and is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on the grand jury charges, Schmidt said.

According to a criminal complaint filed Oct. 24 in federal court, Emerson told investigators he pulled the emergency handles because he thought he was dreaming and wanted to wake up.

He said he had taken psychedelic mushrooms for the first time, had not slept in nearly two days, was depressed and believed he was having a "nervous breakdown." Aside from the mushrooms he took for the first time, Emerson denied taking any medications, investigators wrote.

One of the pilots told investigators Emerson 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," the complaint reads.

The pilots told investigators Emerson had spoken casually with them earlier in the flight and "there was zero indication of anything wrong" before he sat up in his seat and declared "I'm not OK," reaching for the red handles.

According to airline officials, Emerson was then removed from the cockpit and handcuffed to a seat in the rear of the plane, where he later tried to grab an emergency exit handle and was stopped by a flight attendant.

Emerson was hired as a Horizon first officer in August 2001, joined Virgin America as a pilot in 2012 and returned to Alaska Airlines as a captain in 2019.

Shortly after the incident, Alaska Airlines said Emerson was "removed from service indefinitely and relieved from all duties" pending consultation with the union regarding his employment status.

Emerson's lawyers told ABC7 they were "crafting a release plan" and expected him to be home with his family in Pleasant Hill by the end of this week.

Patch was not immediately able to reach Emerson's defense attorney Tuesday afternoon.

A statement from Levi Merrithew Horst, the firm representing Emerson, said in part: "While on this flight, Captain Emerson suffered a panic attack and the illusion of being in a dream. His actions during that flight were a well-meaning attempt simply to wake himself up from the dream. No harm to anyone was contemplated or intended."

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air on behalf of the passengers aboard Alaska Airlines flight 2059.

According to the law firm Stritmatter Kessler Koehler Moore, which filed the suit: "Pilots who ride in a cockpit jump seat may be called upon in an emergency. Prior tragedies show pilots have knowledge that can lead them to cause disasters intentionally. However, neither Alaska Airlines nor Horizon Air has explained any effort it took shortly before Emerson boarded to question or otherwise screen him about any condition that would disqualify him from being in the cockpit at the time or piloting the aircraft in an emergency."

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