Airplane audio reveals 'chaos' as off-duty pilot tries to shut down engine mid-flight
The story of Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 is one that's unlikely and horrifying in equal measure, with an off-duty pilot making his way into the cockpit and attempting to shut down the plane's engines in the middle of a flight.
This very real situation unfolded when Joseph David Emerson approached those flying the plane in October 2023, tried to activate the emergency fire suppression systems on both engines, and could've potentially cut the fuel supply while causing a flameout.
Emerson's story has grabbed national attention, especially with court affidavits referring to how he'd told investigators that he'd been suffering from depression and hadn't slept in nearly 40 hours after suffering the loss of his best friend. The headline news involved the fact that Emerson claimed he's tried psychedelic mushrooms for the first time, just 48 hours before boarding the flight at Washington's Paine Field.
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Emerson tried to bring down the plane carrying 79 passengers, three staff, and himself – although he was unsuccessful in turning off the engines.
In the released audio, you can hear things unfold in the cockpit as a distressed Emerson says, "I’m not OK."
A confused member of the flight crew asks, "What’s wrong? You want to be home?
Following a string of swear words, the audio plays the sounds of a scuffle.
An out-of-breath crew member adds: "Horizon, we need to make an emergency landing. We got a jump seater just tried to shut our engines off. We need to go direct to Portland, now."
Following a pause, the pilot tells air traffic control that they managed to get Emerson out of the cockpit.
Elsewhere, video footage of Emerson on the tarmac shows him handcuffed inside a police vehicle and telling an officer he was "having a nervous breakdown."
A confused-looking Emerson says he doesn't know why he did what he did, but when pressed on whether he was trying to kill himself, Emerson continued: "I was trying to wake up... I didn't feel like it's real."
Asked when he realized it wasn't a dream, he concluded: "When I saw the look on people's faces when I came, when you guys brought me out here."
While the plane was safely diverted to Portland International Airport, Emerson was later charged at a federal level on 83 misdemeanor counts of endangering another person, as well as one felony count of endangering an aircraft in a separate state indictment.
Pleading no contest to 50 days in jail, 664 hours of community service, and $60,569 in restitution, Joseph David Emerson was released to his California home on December 7, 2023, after posting a $50,000 bond.
In November 2025, Emerson was given credit for time served and three-and-a-half years of supervised release, meaning he managed to avoid a year of prison time that was sought by federal prosecutors.