An off-duty airline pilot, Joseph David Emerson, who was riding in an extra cockpit seat on a Horizon Air flight, attempted to cut the plane’s engines midflight, according to charging documents made public in Oregon. Emerson told Port of Portland police following his arrest that he had been struggling with depression, his friend had recently died, and he had taken psychedelic mushrooms about 48 hours before the incident. Alaska Airlines, which owns Horizon, stated that neither gate agents nor flight crew noticed signs of impairment that might have barred him from the flight. Emerson has been charged with attempted murder, and the case raises questions about mental health and airline safety regulations.
Emerson attempted to cut the plane’s engines during a flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco. The plane was diverted to Portland, where it landed safely with over 80 people on board. Emerson was arrested after the flight crew reported the incident. While psilocybin (the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms) is illegal in most of the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designated it a “breakthrough therapy” in 2018 for potential use in mental health conditions or substance use disorders. Oregon legalized psilocybin for adults earlier this year.
This incident highlights the need for ongoing assessments of pilot mental health, particularly as the aviation industry has faced similar incidents in the past. Pilots are required to undergo psychological screening as part of their regular medical exams, but there is no indication that Emerson had been flagged as having mental health concerns during these exams.
