Ex-Alaska Airlines Pilot Accused of Trying to Crash Plane, Claims Mental Breakdown and Psychedelic Drug Use

Off-duty pilot Joseph Emerson, facing charges of attempted murder for allegedly trying to cut off engines on a Horizon Air flight mid-air, pleads not guilty; defense attorney asserts Emerson, reportedly struggling with depression and sleep deprivation, had "no intention to harm himself or other people".

Former Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph Emerson, who is accused of attempting to cut off the engines of a Horizon Air flight mid-air, has pleaded not guilty to state charges of attempted murder and a federal charge of interfering with a flight crew.
Emerson was taken into custody after the plane, carrying more than 80 people, was diverted to Portland following a brief struggle with the flight crew.
In his defense, Emerson claimed to be suffering from a mental breakdown, sleep deprivation and had reportedly consumed psychedelic mushrooms 48 hours prior to the incident.
Ethan Levi, defense attorney for Emerson, and Emerson's wife Sarah Stretch, upheld that Emerson was neither suicidal nor homicidal and asserted he had no intention of harming himself or others.
Emerson's unprecedented case has redirected scrutiny to the mental fitness and health screening systems of aviation industries
Authorities find no clear signs of intoxicants nor any indication of terrorism, while further investigations continue into the incident and Emerson's mental health.

The Christian Science Monitor