MULTNOMAH COUNTY, OREGON: The horrifying moment happened when an off-duty pilot tried to kill everyone in midair has been revealed.
As per police reports, Joseph Emerson tried pulling the engine fire handle. It is called a plane's fire suppression system.
The harrowing incident occurred on Sunday, October 22, when Horizon Air was going to San Francisco from Seattle.
Emerson was 'kicked out of cockpit'
Emerson was restrained, and the two on-duty pilots took charge of the plane, rerouting it to Portland with all passengers reported safe.
He faces 83 felony counts of attempted murder, 83 misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, and one felony count of endangering an aircraft filed in Multnomah County court. He now faces a federal charge of endangering a flight crew, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon said in a press release.
Police interviewed flight attendants who were on the plane, and they shared that on-duty pilots told them that Emerson was “losing it.”
Attendants noticed Emerson peacefully walking over to the back of the plane and told them he was kicked out of the cockpit, as per the official complaint.
“You need to cuff me,” Emerson reportedly told the flight attendants, “or it’s going to be bad.”
Emerson allegedly confessed that he was 'high'
To distract him from what just happened, flight attendants started a conversation with Emerson, during which he confessed that “I messed everything up” and that he “tried to kill everybody.”
As per the county affidavit and the federal complaint, Emerson told the responding officers that while he was in the cockpit, he thought he was dreaming, reports People.
He also believed it ‘seemed like the pilots weren’t paying attention to what was happening.’
“I pulled both emergency shut-off handles because I thought I was dreaming, and I just wanna wake up,” Emerson said, per the federal complaint.
The accused, who has been a pilot since 2001, told police, “I’m admitting to what I did. I’m not fighting any charges you want to bring against me, guys,” the documents claim.
During the interview with Emerson, officers later discovered that he allegedly took psychedelic “magic mushrooms” approximately 48 hours before the flight, the affidavit states.
Emerson is currently in custody, and a detention hearing is scheduled. A grand jury will hear the case.
As per Emerson's attorney, the off-duty pilot pleaded not guilty.
