The pilot tried to crash the plane… Details revealed
Pilot Joseph D. Emerson, who was on leave in the United States, was arrested the previous day on suspicion of attempting to crash the plane during Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 and was charged with 83 counts of “attempted murder.”
According to Insider, citing court records, a crew member on the plane with 80 passengers said Emerson tried to crash the plane right after a casual conversation about the weather.
HE SAID “I’M NOT OKAY” AND TRIED TO PULL HIM ARM
According to the documents, Emerson said, “I’m not feeling well,” and tried to reach out and activate the fire suppression system.
At the same time, one of the pilots grabbed Emerson’s wrist and the other pilot declared an emergency.
“HE CALLED QUICK”
The pilot described those moments by saying, “Emerson resisted at first, but quickly calmed down after 25 to 30 seconds of physical intervention.”
“YOU NEED TO HANDCUFF ME IMMEDIATELY.”
Emerson was recorded as telling the stewardess: “You have to handcuff me right now, otherwise it’s going to get worse” and “I ruined everything, I tried to kill everyone.”
Emerson with his wife and two children.
The officers tied Emerson’s wrists and placed him in the back of the plane. Meanwhile, the plane made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport.
“I USED DRUGS”
According to court documents, Emerson said he had taken hallucinogenic mushrooms and had not slept in 40 hours. The pilot claimed that he thought he was dreaming and stated: “I pulled the emergency shutdown lever because I thought he wanted to wake me up.”
During his interrogation, Emerson said: “I confess what I did. “I am not opposed to any accusations they want to level against me,” he said.
I WAS IN THE SEAT BEHIND THE PILOTS
Emerson was seated in the cockpit directly behind the captain and co-pilot. It is stated to be standard practice in the US for pilots to sit in a seat in the cockpit when returning home after duty or in preparation for a future flight.