"SAN FRANCISCO -- A former Alaska Airlines pilot and East Bay man accused of trying to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 while riding off-duty in the cockpit has reached plea agreements with state and federal prosecutors, his attorney said Thursday. Attorney Noah Horst declined to discuss details of the agreements ahead of change-of-plea hearings his client, Joseph Emerson, faces Friday in state and federal court in Oregon."
"Emerson was subdued by the flight crew after trying to cut the engines of a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on Oct. 22, 2023, while he was riding in an extra seat in the cockpit. The plane was diverted to Portland, where it landed safely with more than 80 people on board. Emerson told police he was despondent over a friend's recent death, had taken psychedelic mushrooms about two days earlier, and hadn't slept in over 40 hours."
Joseph Emerson, a former Alaska Airlines pilot, reached plea agreements with state and federal prosecutors after an Oct. 22, 2023 incident in which he attempted to cut engines of a Horizon Air passenger flight while riding off-duty in the cockpit. Flight crew members subdued Emerson and the diverted plane landed safely in Portland with more than 80 people aboard. Emerson told police he was despondent over a friend's recent death, had taken psychedelic mushrooms days earlier and had not slept for over 40 hours. He said he believed he was dreaming and grabbed red handles that would have activated the fire suppression system and cut fuel. Federal prosecutors charged him with interfering with a flight crew; Oregon prosecutors indicted him on numerous counts of endangering others. He previously pleaded not guilty but was expected to plead guilty federally and no-contest in state court.
Read at ABC7 San Francisco
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