Off-Duty Pilot Charged With 83 Counts of Attempted Murder Mid-Flight

While most pilots are able to successfully navigate through the air without error, one off-duty pilot recently exhibited erratic behavior mid-flight and attempted to shut down his plane’s engine. His actions caused everyone on board to fear for their lives and he has since been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder.

According to reports, 44-year-old Joseph David Emerson began exhibiting unstable behavior before he attempted to pull the fire extinguisher handles on the engines while the aircraft was flying more than 30,000 feet in the air.

The airline staff handcuffed the off-duty pilot to a seat to avoid any further altercations. Upon landing, Emerson was immediately apprehended and taken into police custody. His unpredictable behavior landed him 83 homicide charges according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. On top of that, Emerson is also facing 83 counts of reckless endangerment and a felony count of endangering an aircraft.

Alaska Airlines reported that the captain and first officer “acted quickly” to subdue Emerson. The passengers aboard the frightening flight were struck with horror as they tried to comprehend the gravity of what was happening. Alex Wood, who was a passenger on board, said that the pilot didn’t offer many details of what had occurred at the front of the plane and simply stated that “there was a disturbance in the cockpit.”

She said, “After we did land and the gentleman was escorted off, the flight attendant got back on the speaker and said ‘He had a mental breakdown. We needed to get him off the plane immediately’. Gavello revealed that passengers were given various excuses about their need for an emergency landing, saying that there was a “security threat” and “a medical emergency.”

The Federal Aviation Administration released a statement to clarify that Emerson’s actions were not the result of a terrorist attack. The statement said what occurred is The Federal Aviation Administration was “not connected in any way shape or form to current world events.” To ease the nerves of future travelers, the FBI added that “there is no continuing threat related to this incident.”

Members of Emerson’s community had nothing but positive things to say about him in light of his recent charges. Karen Yee, who lived next door to Emerson and his family said, “He is a fantastic father. He plays with the kids all the time. He’s very friendly. He’s just a great guy.” She also added, “It’s just really shocking news.”

‘It’s very hard for us to believe that he would do anything intentionally like that,” she said before adding, “’I can’t fathom him doing anything that would hurt anyone.” Lou Rossi, who also lives in Emerson’s neighborhood, agreed that he was always nice and respectful toward him. “All I could tell you is he is a really nice man, and his wife Sarah is a really nice lady,” he said. “They never, ever even remotely made me think anything negative about them.”

It’s also been claimed that Emerson had not slept in 40 hours before his failed attempt to crash the plane with 83 people onboard. Emerson is facing significant jail time if convicted of the numerous attempted murder charges. His misconduct and erratic actions could result in him serving 20 years or more in prison.

Emerson reportedly told authorities that it was his first time taking the hallucinogenic drug before confessing, “I pulled both emergency shut-off handles because I thought I was dreaming and I just wanna wake up.” The off-duty pilot seemed to be in good spirits before his mood drastically shifted. He even warned his co-workers of his transformation, telling them, “You need to cuff me right now or it’s going to be bad.”

“He never would have done that. He never would’ve knowingly done any of that.” She confirmed that her husband had been suffering from depression while standing by him during this difficult time. During an interview with CNN, she said, “That is not the man that I married. That’s not the man that all of these people in this world are coming together to support him, love him.”

According to court documents, Emerson initially took accountability for his extreme actions. “I’m admitting to what I did. I’m not fighting any charges you want to bring against me,” he told authorities. However, he pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the string of charges at his arraignment.