Overview

• Joseph David Emerson admitted in federal court to interfering with a flight crew and entered a no contest plea in state court to endangering an aircraft and its 83 passengers.
• The state case resulted in 50 days in jail already served, five years of supervised release, 664 hours of community service, and about $60,000 in restitution.
• During the October 22, 2023 flight, Emerson rose from the cockpit jump seat, said he was unwell, and tried to pull the two red fire handles that cut fuel to the engines before pilots restrained him after roughly 90 seconds and diverted to Portland.
• Once moved to the cabin, he told a flight attendant to handcuff him and later tried to grab an emergency exit handle, according to investigators.
• Emerson told authorities he had not slept for over 40 hours, had taken psilocybin two days earlier, and believed he was dreaming, while prosecutors and a passenger criticized the proposed penalties as too light and his defense plans to seek probation at the federal sentencing.