Update: Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to shut down engines of SFO-bound flight "relieved from all duties"
SAN FRANCISCO -- Alaska Airlines on Tuesday confirmed that the off-duty pilot from the Bay Area who attempted to shut down a jet's engines from the cockpit mid-flight during its journey to San Francisco has been "removed from service indefinitely and relieved from all duties at Alaska Airlines."
UPDATE: Wife of Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph Emerson says she's in shock after averted air disaster
Alaska Airlines pilot and Pleasant Hill resident Joseph Emerson, 44, is facing 167 criminal charges -- including 83 counts of attempted murder -- for his actions Sunday night on the Horizon Air Flight 2059 from Everett, Washington to San Francisco International Airport. Horizon is a regional subsidiary of the Alaska Air group.
ALSO READ: Off-duty pilot took mushrooms 48 hours before midair scare, prosecutors say
The airline released the new statement Tuesday at noon after the release of court documents pertaining to the criminal complaint against Captain Emerson, noting that airline officials "are deeply disturbed" by the details.
The statement said that Emerson was authorized as a jump-seat passenger in the cockpit of the flight after gate agents followed "well-established, FAA-mandated practices." The statement noted that the gate agents and flight attendants who interacted with Emerson did not "observe any signs of impairment that would have led them to prevent Emerson from flying on Flight 2059."
The statement also noted that agents and flight attendants are "trained to identify signs and symptoms of impairment."
During the flight, Emerson threw his headset across the cockpit and said, "I am not okay," before grabbing and pulling on the two red handles that would have activated the suppression system, shutting down the engines, according to the documents. Emerson later told police that he pulled down on emergency shut-off handles because he thought he was dreaming and wanted to wake up.
One of the pilots told investigators Emerson wasn't able to pull all the way down on the handles because the pilots were wrestling with him.
Emerson was removed from the cockpit and subdued, but also attempted to grab the emergency exit door handle as the plane was making its descent to Portland's airport.
The court documents also noted that Emerson told police after he was in custody that he was in mental crisis and had not slept in over 40 hours. According to the documents, Emerson also told officers he had consumed "magic mushrooms" approximately 48 hours prior to the incident on the plane.
The statement from Alaska Airline also noted that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) "has a mandatory drug testing program for on-duty crew members that is administered by all airlines, including Alaska and Horizon consistent with our zero-tolerance policy for any substance abuse."
The Federal Aviation Administration also confirmed, "The use of a psychotropic drug is disqualifying for aeromedical certification purposes. This includes all sedatives, tranquilizers, antipsychotic drugs, antidepressant drugs (including SSRI's - see exceptions), analeptics, anxiolytics, and hallucinogens."
Alaska Airlines noted that Emerson's "next scheduled assignment would have been Oct. 26."
Captain Laura Einsetler, a veteran pilot with over 30 years of experience, expressed her disbelief at the situation.
"I can't imagine what he was possibly thinking, because everyone knows mushrooms are hallucinogens. And that's absolutely, by far, no way … We can't even take cold medicine," Einsetler said, highlighting the stringent regulations pilots adhere to, including biannual medical examinations.
Emerson pleaded not guilty to 83 counts of attempted murder and one count of endangering an aircraft in state court Tuesday afternoon. He was initially held on 83 additional reckless endangerment counts when he was arrested, but prosecutors ultimately didn't charge him with those offenses.
He was charged in federal court with one count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants, the U.S. attorney's office in Oregon announced in a statement Tuesday.
On Monday, neighbors in Pleasant Hill said they were shocked to learn about the in-flight incident with Emerson.
"He seems like a really nice guy. Nothing abnormal about him. Very caring, loves his kids," said neighbor Ed Vee. "They're very nice to our grandson when he's over there."
"It's really shocking. I'm really glad that they were able to take care of everything and not jeopardize the passengers," said Sara Mattson, who lives near Emerson. "But maybe that pilot needs some help of some sort."
The full statement from Alaska Airlines appears below.
Alaska Airlines is committed to sharing as much information as we can while respecting the ongoing federal and state criminal investigations and court proceedings. We have reviewed the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Criminal Complaint pertaining to Captain Joseph Emerson and, like many, are deeply disturbed by what we have learned.
On Oct. 22, Emerson approached Horizon Air Gate Agents overseeing the boarding process for Flight 2059. Following well-established, FAA-mandated practices to authorize a jump-seat passenger, our Gate Agent confirmed that Emerson was an off-duty pilot for Alaska Airlines. He was approved to join the flight as a passenger and was seated in the flight deck jump seat. All Gate Agents and Flight Attendants are trained to identify signs and symptoms of impairment.
At no time during the check-in or boarding process did our Gate Agents or flight crew observe any signs of impairment that would have led them to prevent Emerson from flying on Flight 2059.
The details in the DOJ affidavit describing the actions of our flight crew are consistent with our understanding of what occurred based on debriefings with each member of the flight crew. Upon exiting the flight deck, both Flight Attendants confirmed that Emerson was escorted by a Flight Attendant to the rear of the aircraft where Emerson was placed in wrist restraints and belted into the aft jump seat. Our crew also confirmed that Emerson attempted to grab the handle of the emergency exit during the aircraft's descent before being stopped by a Flight Attendant.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has a mandatory drug testing program for on-duty crew members that is administered by all airlines, including Alaska and Horizon consistent with our zero-tolerance policy for any substance abuse. This can include random testing before or after a flight, as well as reasonable suspicion testing of on-duty Pilots and Flight Attendants.
On Oct. 22, Emerson was removed from service indefinitely and relieved from all duties at Alaska Airlines. His next scheduled assignment would have been Oct. 26. Consistent with our pilot's collective bargaining agreement, we are consulting with our partners in labor regarding his employment status.
We are deeply proud of our Horizon flight crew and their quick actions both in the flight deck and in the rear of the aircraft. Working together, consistent with their training, they performed their critical roles exceptionally well, representing the best of their profession.
