Portland, OR- Joseph David Emerson, a former Alaska Airlines pilot was convicted today on 83 counts of Reckless Endangering Another Person in Multnomah County Circuit Court as well as Endangering Aircraft in the First Degree, which is a felony.
The charges come from an incident on October 22, 2023 when Emerson, an off duty pilot sitting in a ‘jump seat’ just behind the two pilots, pulled down both emergency fire suppression handles in mid flight. The Horizon airlines jet was over Oregon at the time and made an emergency landing in Portland. Pulling down the handles, according to the pilot flying the plane, would shut off the fuel supply forcing the aircraft to glide.
Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Albrecht sentenced 46-year old Emerson to 50 days in jail, with credit for time served; 664 hours of community service, 8 hours for each life he endangered; and five years probation.
Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Eric Pickard prosecuted the case for the state.
After the conviction and sentencing he said:
“What Joseph Emerson did was reckless, selfish, and criminal. We should remember how close he came to ruining the lives of not just the 84 people aboard Flight 2059, but all of their family members and friends as well. Joseph Emerson is now a convicted felon, has 83 convictions for recklessly endangering, and will be on formal probation for 60 months. Additionally, he has been ordered to perform 664 hours of community service and sentenced to 50 days jail with CTS. With this sentence, we aim to hold Joseph Emerson accountable for his choices, his conduct, and his betrayal to his duty as a pilot.
Airline pilots have tremendous responsibility. When something goes wrong at 30,000 feet, you better hope you have a competent, composed, and courageous flight crew to handle it. Fortunately for the passengers of Flight 2059, Capt. Emil Riemer and First Officer Alan Koizol were manning the flightdeck. And when Joseph Emerson, who was deadheading in the cockpit jump seat, suddenly attempted to activate the fire suppression handles and stop fuel from getting to the engines, the pilots jumped to action to stop him. Their swift reaction prevented what could have been a horrendous tragedy and they saved the lives of 84 people, including 11 children. The State of Oregon is grateful for Capt. Riemer and First Ofc. Koizol’s heroism.”
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office would like to thank
the Port of Portland Police Department, especially Det. Cassie Hartless, Det. David Baker, Ofc. Erik Hargrove, Ofc. Tyler Gieser, and Ofc. Zachary Landry; to the FBI, especially S.A. TaPara Simmons Jr.; and to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, especially S.A. Tanna Langue.
The DA’s Office would also like to acknowledge the time, attention, and professionalism given in this matter, given to the victims by MCDA Victim’s Advocate Rebecca Leedkiker.
THE FACTS:
On October 22, 2023 as Horizon Air Flight AS 2059 flew over Oregon on its way to California, Joseph Emerson, an off duty Alaska Air pilot, sat in the ‘jump seat’ which is in the cockpit just behind the two pilots.
One of the pilots told investigators that during the flight over Oregon, Emerson was wearing a pilot headset, then suddenly threw the headset across the cockpit and both pilots heard Emerson say aloud, “I’m not okay.”
The two pilots said that Emerson then grabbed the emergency fire suppression handles and pulled them down. One of the pilots described it as, “blowing the bottles.” One pilot said that pulling the handles would shut down hydraulics and fuel to the engines and that the plane would be “seconds away” from being a glider.
The pilots said Emerson was not able to pull the handles all the way down before they intervened. One grabbed Emerson’s wrists and the other said they wrestled with Emerson for a few seconds for control of the aircraft before Emerson stopped and said he was okay. Emerson then left the flight deck.
A flight attendant told investigators that after Emerson left the cockpit he seemed calm. But they said that while talking with Emerson he turned to an emergency exit door and tried to grab the handle but she stopped him by putting her hands on his to block him.
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