Ex-Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to cut a flight’s engines pleads guilty
September 5, 2025
A former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 has pleaded guilty or no-contest to all charges against him. Joseph Emerson was riding in an extra seat in the cockpit of a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco and was subdued by the crew. The plane landed safely in Oregon. Emerson appeared in state and federal court in Oregon on Friday to enter the pleas. His attorney says Emerson reached plea agreements to take responsibility and he hopes to avoid further time behind bars. Emerson told police he’d taken psychedelic mushrooms two days earlier and hadn’t slept in over 40 hours.
