一名前阿拉斯加航空公司飞行员将因试图关闭引擎一架客机在半空中从驾驶舱跳下座椅，同时受到迷幻蘑菇的影响，引发了飞行紧急情况。
周一，在俄勒冈州波特兰联邦法院举行的听证会上，约瑟夫·爱默生被判服刑，原因是他被捕后在监狱度过了46天，以及三年的监督释放。
他有认罪联邦指控干涉机组人员，源于2023年10月的航班。
根据认罪协议，艾默生面临最高20年的监禁和最高25万美元的罚款。
宣判后，他和妻子泪流满面，相互拥抱。
埃默森之前还因该事件引起的州指控被判服刑和五年缓刑。摩特诺玛县法官还命令他进行600小时的社区服务，并向阿拉斯加航空公司赔偿数千美元。
联邦检察官表示，他拉动了灭火手柄，切断了两个引擎的燃料供应，同时作为一名休班机组人员乘坐从华盛顿埃弗雷特飞往旧金山的地平线航空公司航班，“从自我造成的药物诱发的精神病中醒来。”
埃默森在宣判前向法庭发表讲话，并为自己的行为道歉，他说:“我对自己造成的伤害感到后悔。”
“我在这里是我行为的直接结果。我并不打算把自己放在现在的位置上。没关系，”他说。“我可以告诉你，这场悲剧帮助我成长，让我相信上帝。”
爱默生对机组人员说:“他们给了我一份拯救我生命的礼物。”
根据判决备忘录，政府寻求一年监禁，然后三年监督释放。
“埃默森先生不是本案的受害者，”检察官杰弗里·巴罗在量刑听证会上说，尽管被告的精神健康问题，法院应该“不重视”这一想法。
政府没有寻求任何额外的赔偿，称艾默生已经向阿拉斯加航空公司支付了近6万美元，用于支付航班转向波特兰的相关费用。
“只有通过机组人员的英勇行为，他们能够在身体上限制被告，并恢复飞机的正常运行，那天才没有人丧生，”检察官在一份判决备忘录中说。“行动是有后果的。被告必须对自己的行为负责。”
埃默森的律师在法官面前辩称，让他脱离社会接受惩罚性惩罚会适得其反。
爱默生要求服刑和缓刑。他的律师认为，州起诉是“强有力的，它充分说明了爱默生先生的行为，导致了实质性的惩罚，因此充分维护了联邦政府的利益。”
“这些惩罚永远不会结束。爱默生先生失去了他的生计。他已经失去了他在社区中的地位，他热爱的事业，他将永远被联邦定罪，”他的律师在他的判决备忘录中写道，该备忘录指出，美国联邦航空管理局吊销了他的飞行员和医疗证书，阿拉斯加航空公司在事件发生后解雇了他。
他的律师说，在拘留期间，爱默生意识到自己是个酒鬼，并且已经戒酒两年了。他们指出，他目前正在努力成为一名药物滥用顾问，以帮助他人，并称“职业转变和选择源于他在地平线航空2059航班上的创伤经历。”
爱默生在华盛顿与一群人一起庆祝他最好的朋友的一生，他的律师说，他是一名飞行员，几年前死于食用裸盖菇，之前从未服用过致幻剂。
在一份认罪的法庭文件中，爱默生说他在2023年10月22日飞行的前两天使用了裸盖菇素，“我仍然受到这种药物的副作用的影响。”
他在文件中说，“虽然我坐在跳伞座位上，与机组人员互动，但我认为我要么是在做梦，要么是强烈地需要醒来。”“为了从‘梦’中醒来，我在飞机飞行时故意拉动了飞机引擎的双灭火器手柄。”
“我知道这样做会关掉引擎，但当时我觉得这样做会让我从梦中醒来，我会和家人在一起，”他继续说道。“当我抓住手柄时，我威胁到了机组人员，他们不得不抓住我的手和手腕，将它们从手柄上拉开，并重新装上，这样发动机就不会关闭。多亏了称职且训练有素的飞行机组人员的努力，发动机没有关闭，他们安全地降落了飞机。”
他的律师说，爱默生认为药物的效果会在八小时内消失，但他意外地“几天来完全脱离现实”，同时患有致幻剂持续感知障碍。
在宣判时，法官艾米·巴乔说这种疾病很罕见，但却是真实存在的，那些患有这种疾病的人通常并不知道。她还提到，飞行员逃避医疗保健的行为需要结束。
在艾默生试图关闭引擎时帮助他离开驾驶舱的飞行员告诉法官，他不认为艾默生应该进监狱，这表明这可能会阻止其他飞行员寻求帮助。
“在这种文化中，你不会惩罚人们变得更加透明，”飞行员说。
“我没有看到一种惩罚性措施鼓励人们在医疗保健中更加透明，”他补充说。
埃默森的妻子萨拉·斯特朗(Sarah Stretch)在一份充满感情的证词中描述了这一事件对她的家庭产生的持久影响，以及她认为这让埃默森成为了一个更好的人。Stretch敦促法官不要再惩罚Emerson了。
“我承认我有偏见，但乔进监狱对任何人都没有好处，”Stretch作证说。
她还向那些受她丈夫行为影响的人道歉。
“我为那些受到影响的人感到抱歉，就像它已经造成的那样，”她说。“但我非常自豪能和这个人在一起，以及他所激发的成长。”
“他以勇气和极大的弹性做出了回应，”她补充道。
一名飞行员被捕并被指控在1990年酒后驾驶飞机，他也是为爱默生作证的人之一。退休的飞行员，莱尔·普劳斯说他已经戒酒35年了，并且一直在帮助爱默生恢复健康。
联邦认罪协议称，在这起事件中，一名飞行员抓住了爱默生的手腕，他们进行了短暂的“肢体搏斗”。根据认罪协议，红色的发动机关闭手柄没有完全拉下，发动机也没有关闭。
认罪协议称，爱默生告诉其中一名飞行员，“我不好”。他在航班转向波特兰后被捕，他告诉警方，他的精神处于“危机之中”，大约48小时没有睡觉，“感觉一切都不是真实的，”认罪协议称。
爱默生在他的联邦和州案件中都达成了认罪协议。
在9月份的一次辩护听证会上，他没有对他的州指控提出异议。在最初面临数十项谋杀未遂指控后，他被Multnomah县大陪审团起诉83项鲁莽危害他人的轻罪指控和一项一级危害飞机的重罪指控。
谢丽尔·阿尔布雷特法官裁定所有罪名成立，并根据认罪协议的条款对他进行了判决。作为缓刑的一部分，他还被禁止出现在任何可操作飞机的25英尺范围内。
爱默生称这是他一生中最糟糕的30秒。
“在一天结束的时候，我为我所做的选择承担责任。他们是我的选择，”爱默生在2024年8月的采访中告诉ABC新闻。“我希望通过司法程序，不仅仅是30秒钟的整个事件，而是我的整个经历都被考虑在内，因为社会会根据发生的事情来评判我。而我会接受社会说我欠的债。”
在他被捕后，爱默生和他的妻子成立了一个非盈利组织“前方晴空”，为飞行员精神健康筹集资金并提高人们对飞行员精神健康的认识。
Former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to shut down engines midflight avoids prison time
A former Alaska Airlines pilot will avoid prison time for trying toshut down the enginesof a passenger plane in midair from a cockpit jump seat while reeling from the effects of psychedelic mushrooms, prompting an in-flight emergency.
Joseph Emerson was sentenced to time served, stemming from the 46 days he spent in jail following his arrest, and three years of supervised release during a hearing in federal court in Portland, Oregon, on Monday.
He hadpleaded guiltyto the federal charge of interference with flight crew members, stemming from the October 2023 flight.
Emerson faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000, according to the plea agreement.
He and his wife were in tears after the sentencing and hugged each other.
Emerson was also previously sentenced to time served and five years probation on state charges stemming from the incident. The Multnomah County judge additionally ordered him to perform 600 hours of community service and pay thousands in restitution to Alaska Airlines.
Federal prosecutors said he pulled the fire suppression handles, cutting fuel to both engines, while traveling as an off-duty crew member on a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco "to awaken from a self-inflicted drug-induced psychosis."
Emerson addressed the court ahead of his sentencing and apologized for his actions, saying, "I regret the harm that I caused."
"I am here as a direct result of my actions. I did not intend to put myself where I did. It doesn't matter," he said. "I can tell you this tragic event has helped me grow, to trust God."
Addressing the flight crew, Emerson said, "They gave me a gift of saving my life."
The government sought one year in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to its sentencing memorandum.
"Mr. Emerson is not the victim in this case," prosecutor Jeffery Barrow said during the sentencing hearing, saying despite the defendant's mental health issues the court should "give no weight" to that idea.
The government did not seek any additional restitution, saying Emerson had already paid nearly $60,000 to Alaska Airlines for the expenses related to diverting the flight to Portland.
"It was only through the heroic actions of the flight crew, who were able to physically restrain the defendant and restore normal operations of the aircraft, that no lives were lost that day," prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum. "Actions have consequences. The defendant must be held accountable for his conduct."
Emerson's attorney argued before the judge that it would be counterproductive to take him out of society for punitive punishment.
Emerson asked for a sentence of time served and probation. His attorneys argued that the state prosecution was "robust, it fully accounted for Mr. Emerson's conduct, resulted in substantial punishment and therefore adequately vindicated the federal government's interests."
"These punishments will never end. Mr. Emerson has lost his livelihood. He has lost his standing in the community, the career he loved, and he will be forever marked by this federal conviction," his attorneys wrote in his sentencing memorandum, which noted the Federal Aviation Administration revoked his pilot and medical certificates and Alaska Airlines fired him in the wake of the incident.
His attorneys said that while in custody, Emerson realized he was an alcoholic and has since been sober for two years. He is currently working to become a substance abuse counselor to help others, they noted, saying the "career shift and choice is one born from his traumatic experience on board Horizon Air flight 2059."
Emerson was in Washington with a group celebrating the life of his best friend, a pilot who died several years earlier, when he ate psilocybin mushrooms, having never taken a hallucinogen before, his attorneys said.
In a court filing on the guilty plea, Emerson said he had used psilocybin two days before the Oct. 22, 2023, flight, "and I was still suffering from the aftereffects of this drug."
"Although I was sitting in the jump seat and interacting with the flight crew, I believed I was either dreaming and felt an overwhelming need to wake up," he said in the filing. "In an effort to wake up from my 'dream' I knowingly pulled the dual fire extinguisher handles for the aircraft engines while the aircraft was flying."
"I knew that doing this would shut the engines off but at the time I felt that doing so would wake me up from my dream and I would be with my family," he continued. "When I grabbed the handles, I intimidated the flight crew who had to grab my hands and wrists to pull them away from the handles and restow them so the engines would not shut down. Thanks to the efforts of the competent and well-trained flight crew, the engines did not shut down and they safely landed the aircraft."
His attorneys said Emerson believed the effects of the drugs would wear off within eight hours but that he unexpectedly became "completely detached from reality for several days" while suffering from hallucinogen persisting perception disorder.
In issuing her sentence, Judge Amy Baggio said the disorder is rare but real and those who have it are usually not aware. She also mentioned health care avoidance by pilots needs to end.
The pilot who helped get Emerson out of the cockpit as he attempted to shut down the engines told the judge he did not believe Emerson should go to prison, indicating it could keep other pilots from seeking help.
"You do not punish people into being more transparent in this culture," the pilot said.
"I do not see a punitive measure encouraging people to be more transparent in their health care," he added.
In an emotional testimony often marked by loud sobs, Emerson's wife, Sarah Stretch, described the lasting impact the incident had on her family and how she believes it's made Emerson a better person. Stretch urged the judge to not punish Emerson any further.
"I recognize that I have bias, but Joe going to prison would not benefit anyone," Stretch testified.
She also apologized to those affected by her husband's actions.
"I am so sorry for those that it has impacted, as much as it has," she said. "But I am extremely proud to be here with this man, and the growth that it has inspired."
"He has responded with courage and extreme resiliency," she added.
A pilot arrested and charged with flying an airliner under the influence of alcohol in 1990 was also among those who testified on Emerson's behalf. The retired pilot,Lyle Prouse, said he has been sober for 35 years and has been helping Emerson in his recovery.
During the incident, one of the pilots grabbed Emerson's wrist and they "physically struggled" for a short period, the federal plea agreement stated. The red engine shut-off handles were not pulled down all the way, and the engines were not turned off, according to the plea agreement.
Emerson told one of the pilots, "I am not okay," the plea agreement stated. He was arrested after the flight diverted to Portland, telling police that mentally he was "in crisis" and had not slept for approximately 48 hours "and had the feeling that everything wasn't real," the plea agreement stated.
Emerson had reached plea agreements in both his federal and state cases.
He pleaded no contest to his state charges during a plea hearing in September. After initially facing dozens of attempted murder charges, he was indicted by a Multnomah County grand jury on 83 misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of endangering aircraft in the first degree, a felony.
Judge Cheryl Albrecht made a finding of guilty on all counts and sentenced him based on the terms of the plea agreement. As part of his state probation, he is also barred from being within 25 feet of any operable aircraft.
Emerson has called the incident the worst 30 seconds of his life.
"At the end of the day, I accept responsibility for the choices that I made. They're my choices," Emersontold ABC News in an August 2024 interview. "What I hope through the judicial processes is that the entirety of not just 30 seconds of the event, but the entirety of my experience is accounted for as society judges me on what happened. And I will accept what the debt that society says I owe."
In the wake of his arrest, Emerson and his wife started a nonprofit, Clear Skies Ahead, to raise funds for and awareness of pilot mental health.
