Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 was a scheduled domestic flight operated by Horizon Air for Alaska Airlines that was traveling from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, to San Francisco International Airport on October 22, 2023, when an off-duty pilot deadheading in the jump seat of the cockpit reportedly attempted to crash the plane by disabling its engines. The Embraer 175 aircraft was operating at 31,000 feet (9,400 m) when the suspect, Joseph David Emerson, reportedly attempted to deploy the engine fire suppression systems, which could cut the fuel supply and cause a flameout. The crew reset the fire suppression systems, removed Emerson from the cockpit, and diverted to Portland International Airport in Oregon. Emerson was arrested in Portland and charged with 83 counts of attempted murder and other charges, but was released back to his California home on December 7, 2023, after posting a $50,000 bond.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was an Embraer 175LR, with serial number 17000948 and registered as N660QX. The aircraft was only four months old at the time of the incident, having first flown on June 16, 2023, and delivered to Horizon Air on June 28, 2023.[citation needed]
Incident
Flight path illustration of Alaska Airlines Flight 2059.
As the aircraft was flying south near Portland, Oregon, Emerson was accused of exclaiming "I'm not OK" and pulling the two "T-handle" controls that engage the fire suppression system for each of the aircraft's engines. If the T-handle is fully deployed, a valve shuts off fuel flow to the engine. In a statement, Alaska Airlines said the crew was able to quickly reset the T-handles, ensuring engine power was not lost.[1] Flight attendants put Emerson in wrist restraints for 30 seconds before Emerson walked calmly to the back of the plane after being told to leave the cockpit and told a flight attendant, "You need to cuff me right now or it's going to be bad," the affidavit said. Another flight attendant heard him saying, "I messed everything up" and "tried to kill everybody."[6] Shortly after the incident took place, while the plane was still in the air, the pilot told air traffic control, "We've got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit, and he doesn't sound like he's causing any issues in the back right now."
The flight was diverted to Portland International Airport.[5] As the plane descended, Emerson allegedly "tried to grab the handle of an emergency exit" but was stopped by a flight attendant, prosecutors said.[7] According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, no injuries occurred during the incident.[8]
Aftermath
Emerson, a 44-year-old airline pilot who was born in Washington State and had been living in Pleasant Hill, California, since 2008,[9] was later charged with 83 counts of attempted murder and 83 counts of reckless endangerment. The two counts apply to each of the 83 people on board, excluding Emerson. In addition, Emerson faced one count of endangering an aircraft. The FBI stated that it "can assure the traveling public there that is no continuing threat related to this incident."[10]
Emerson, who has a wife and two sons, was a first officer for Horizon Air (part of the Alaska Air Group) from August 2001 until he moved to Virgin America in June 2012. He became an Alaska Airlines first officer following Alaska Air Group’s acquisition of Virgin America in 2016. He was promoted to captain in 2019.[11]
In a statement after the incident, Secretary of TransportationPete Buttigieg stated that he was "grateful for the professional flight crew and air traffic controllers who stepped up to guide this plane safely to Portland. FAA supports law enforcement in their response and will be focused on any safety considerations for the future that emerge from investigations".[12]
According to a probable cause statement filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court and reports from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Emerson told the Port of Portland Police Department following his arrest that he had been struggling with severe depression for the previous six months, and he started taking magic mushrooms to manage his grief after the death of a friend.[6][13] Emerson reported last consuming the mushrooms about 48 hours before the flight; according to The New York Times, it was unclear if he was given a drug test after being detained, and an outside expert said that the mushrooms should have been completely out of his system within a day of consumption.[13] According to the complaint, Emerson told investigators that he started feeling unwell before the incident; he started to think that "the pilots weren't paying attention," and he pulled the T-handles because he thought he "was dreaming" and he wanted to "wake up."[13]
After Emerson was taken into custody, the passengers boarded another Horizon Air E175 to San Francisco.[2] The plane involved in the incident returned to service the next day.[3] Horizon Air discontinued Flight 2059 on November 8, 2023.[14]
In December 2023, a grand jury indicted Emerson with 83 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering aircraft. The grand jury did not indict Emerson with attempted murder. According to a spokesperson for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, this was likely because the jury did not believe Emerson acted with intent to murder.[15] On December 7, 2023, Emerson was released from Multnomah County custody and drove back to San Francisco after posting a $50,000 bond.[16]
The documentary The New York Times Presents: Lie to Fly, premiering in August 2024 on FX, explores Emerson's case and mental health rule reform in the FAA.[17]
^ abcLevenson, Michael (October 24, 2023). "Pilot Who Disrupted Flight Said He Had Taken Psychedelic Mushrooms, Complaint Says". The New York Times. New York City. ISSN0362-4331. Retrieved October 25, 2023. I didn't feel OK," he told the police, according to the federal complaint. "It seemed like the pilots weren't paying attention to what was going on."... He also told the police, according to the complaint, "I pulled both emergency shut off handles because I thought I was dreaming and I just wanna wake up.
