44-year-old Joseph Emerson, the (former) Alaska Airlines pilot who nearly killed 83 people after a mushroom-induced hallucination onboard Alaska flight 2059, is arguing for leniency ahead of his criminal trial.
Magic Mushroom Pilot At Alaska Airlines: “I Accept Responsibility For The Choices That I Made”
Emerson no longer faces attempted murder charges, but faces one felony charge of endangering an aircraft and 83 misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment. As his trial approaches, he and his wife made a joint appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America to reflect on what happened:
“At the end of the day, I accept responsibility for the choices that I made.”
“What I hope is that the entirety of not just 30 seconds of the event, but the entirety of my experience is accounted for as society judges me.”
FIRST ON @GMA: Former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to shut down engines in-flight shares his story.
“It's 30 seconds of my life that I wish I could change, and I can’t.”@GioBenitezhttps://t.co/TThz75SE5q pic.twitter.com/mlGSYe6RpI
— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 23, 2024
I find that fair. I find his interview and his post-incident contrition helpful in establishing that this was an unexpected event and outside any norm for side effects from mushroom use. It matters that after the incident he (himself) asked to be handcuffed and restrained for the remainder of AS2059.
However, I believe Emerson has forfeited his right to be a commercial airline pilot. While I look no less upon him as a man or a fellow human, there should be no second chances for these sorts of incidents. After all, he chose to ingest the controlled substance and even if the chance of harmful side effects was exponentially low (especially two days later), it was still a risk he assumed when he took the drug.
And let’s face it, sometimes our lives are judged…unfairly or not…by 30 seconds. Some decisions are that fateful. This was one such decision. There is no way to undo it.
Emerson has gone through a lot and still faces a tough road ahead. I do not see a point in putting him in jail for what he did…I think permanently clipping his commercial pilot’s license is punishment enough. Finding a new career at age 44 will be no easy task.
I’m glad that he is not simply trying to make excuses for what he did. Kudos to him for accepting responsibility for the choices he made.
> Read More: Alaska Airlines Pilot Charged With 83 Counts Of Attempted Murder After Malicious Act In Cockpit
> Read More: Who Is Joseph David Emerson, Alaska Airlines Pilot Accused Of Attempted Murder?
image: Joseph Emerson/ Facebook
He should get it. There is a big difference between someone who deliberately plans to do harm and someone who is experiencing a medical/mental situation. Taking too much Tylenol can cause hallucinations in some people and especially cold and flu medicine with pseudoephedrine. He took a substance that he hadn’t taken before and had a bad reaction. He was also severely sleep deprived. The focus should be on those who deliberately intend to cause physical harm like the violent criminals running around cities looting, carjacking, and blasting rap music. Yet in America victims of violent crime are criminalized for self defense when they defend themselves from violent attack.
This man didn’t stay in the cockpit but left on his own accord when ordered to leave and walked to the back of the plane where he told a flight attendant something was wrong.
The only thing this case shows is why cockpits being locked is dangerous. Now the government of course wants double doors. If we can’t trust 100-400 passengers, we shouldn’t trust 2 people locked behind a door.
You write some good points , but his “mental/medical situation” was caused by his own actions . He knew not to do it .
“He took a substance that he hadn’t taken before and had a bad reaction”. What a stupid time to perform his magic mushroom experiment – right when you’re hopping on a plane?
Agreed – but he was just a passenger, not piloting it. Had he been piloting it, I would have advocated for life in prison…
Passengers don’t sit in the cockpit after bypassing TSA. If you can be charged in many states for DUI just for sleeping it off in the back seat (physical control) then this guy might as well have been in the either left or right seat. What would we have done if he had succeeded? He can spin what ever elaborate tale he’d like to avoid the consequences but the reality here is that he came within a hair of taking the lives of 83 people. Will he try the Twinkie Defense next……with the help of ALPA, of course?
Blasting rap music, eh?
Nope. He STILL almost murdered 83 people. I think it’s cute that the playing the undoubtedly ALPA-supported pilot mental angle though. Maybe can expand to pilot quality of life and even more eye-watering pilot pay scales.
He needs to be in jail for a very long time.
@Chris … +1 . Exactly . He chose to ingest the controlled substance . He knew he was a pilot with lives depending on his sane judgement .
“… violent criminals running around cities looting, carjacking, and blasting rap music.”
Blasting rap music… now THAT is a crime. 😉
I’d rather any of the thinks you mention than somebody risking so many people’s lives. And the “30 seconds” was just the ending. What about the thought process and actions before that.
That’s just David being David, trying to hijack the comments with his vile racist and bigoted comments.
Everyone knows you are the biggest racist on here. All because of how inferior you feel as a human being because of your choices and addiction to c#ck in your a#s.
“Lie to Fly” documentary on pilot Emerson tonight on FX 10 pm EST.
He should have just used his flight privileges to fly to Lombok and do mushrooms on Gili T like everyone else. Come on, man. Be cool!
He took an illegal drug and then chose to fly while under the influence
Lock him up, throw away the key. Do not even allow him out of his cell for a shower!
Feed him nothing but moldy bread and dirty water for the rest of his life. Make an example out of him
That, or make him work 16 hours a day at back breaking labor on starvation rations the rest of his life, with beatings for every mistake he makes on the job
And add ten years to his sentence for saying, “At the end of the day…” on national TV.
Court ordered mental health counseling, regular drug screens and no flying, even as a passenger until later evaluation proves he is not likely be to further triggered. I wish him well…but it was a close call.
People are conflating taking mushrooms two days prior with him still tripping – mushrooms don’t last that long. The bigger issue is he hadn’t slept in two days. That’s not from the mushrooms and that alone can cause hallucinations. You go sleep deprived long enough and your brain loses it’s grip regardless of the drugs. The shrooms didn’t help, but it’s a lazy A to B narrative to say he took drugs and then did this, as if he was mid-trip. It just helps sensationalize the story.
Dude f*cked up and knew it immediately, but he never meant to hurt anyone. 100% agree he should never fly again, but also, not in favor of jail time either, there’s nothing for him to learn he has not learned already.
Agreed.
I dont know why he did this. He may be doing the spin his lawyer wants. But, I do not for a second believe he intended harm. He’ll never fly commercial again. He may
help others.
Warren Buffet had a great quote, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it.” I think in his case he took only 30 seconds to ruim his reputation. I tells my kids every single day. Think 3 times between hitting “send” on an email or “post” on any social media. Once you press it, it is done.
He would make a fine politician!
I’m not sure he’s really showing contrition. I am sure he talked with legal counsel before this, and they guided him on what to say. They were evidently very good at their job, since I see a number of people are believing it.
For those that say no jail time, is that just because he wasn’t successful in taking down the plane? Would it be different if he had succeeded and 83 people had died?
No excuses. Physical health and mental health the utmost importance when you are controlling the lives of hundreds of people.
Minimizing is not contrition, and it is not an indication of accepting responsibility. The act of manipulating the plane controls took 30 seconds, but the things this guy did wrong happened over a lot longer timeframe.
He wants to change the 30 seconds that he spent trying to kill 83 people, but not the fact that he was a commercial pilot who used recreational drugs and intentionally hid his mental health problems? Great job taking responsibility for ALL of your actions. Enjoy your life as a felon.
I am a big believer in forgiveness, and this act can be forgiven, but minimizing like this insults those who are willing to forgive, and indicates that he still has a massive problem that he is not addressing.
He knew what he was doing with the mushrooms. He and his wife can whine all they want. There is no denying that he damn near killed a bunch of people. His pilot certificate should be revoked…period. But for the grace of god, the fire handles required a two step process to activate them. Yes, he should get mental health treatment. Yes, he can ask for forgiveness. However, he should never be allowed in a cockpit or any mode of public transportation again….PERIOD. A little jail time won’t hurt either.
I thought the (NYTimes) FX documentary was informative but way too long and too sympathetic to his “mental” state. Interviewing his wife and friends, going on and on about the stress of the job, hours away from home etc. COMES WITH the job. If you’re too stressed because of the death of your friend and you have to be away from your wife and kids for two weeks, maybe don’t put your lifelong dream to be a pilot first. This is the problem with people who get in trouble, they want everything….career, family, house, white picket fence until they realize (or not) too late that their choices and the priorities they put them in are just not working. I wish him well finding another job he loves but it will never again be piloting an airplane.
He had a “professional license” which has certain privileges, responsibilities, obligations, and duties!! As such, consumption of certain items are prohibited. If he needed help, resources were available. He blew right thru these limitations and endangered others. Talk shows are not the means for redemption. A formal appeal process is clearly defined.
I don’t ever want to see him as a passenger or pilot on any of my flights!!