Overview

• Joseph Emerson is scheduled Friday to plead guilty in federal court to interfering with a flight crew and to plead no contest in state court to 83 counts of reckless endangerment plus one count of endangering an aircraft.
• The state deal calls for five years of probation, 664 hours of community service—half at a pilot‑health nonprofit he founded—$60,569 in restitution, treatment assessments, drug abstention, and a 25‑foot buffer from operable aircraft.
• Under the federal agreement, prosecutors may recommend up to one year in prison while his attorneys will seek no additional time, with sentencing to occur later.
• The Oct. 22, 2023 Horizon Air flight diverted to Portland after the crew stopped him from pulling engine fire‑handle controls while he rode in a cockpit jump seat, and police arrested him after landing.
• Authorities revoked his pilot license and medical certification days after the incident, and he has since advocated for pilot mental‑health reforms, telling investigators he was sleep‑deprived and believed he was dreaming.