"Blaming Food Eaten for Treatment"... Pilot's Claim for Attempting to Shut Down Engine Mid-Flight

Police Report Statement: "I Wanted to Wake Up"

A U.S. pilot was arrested on charges of attempting to shut down the engine of a passenger plane mid-flight, and reportedly stated, "I tried to kill everyone. I thought I was dreaming." It was confirmed that the pilot had consumed 'hallucinogenic mushrooms' before the flight.

According to The San Francisco Standard and others on the 24th (local time), Joseph David Emerson (44), who was arrested on attempted murder charges, said during police questioning, "I felt like I was dreaming. I wanted to wake up from the sleep."

He said, "I was not feeling well," and added, "The pilots did not seem to be paying attention to what was happening, and I thought they were wrong."

Emerson told the police that he was suffering from a nervous breakdown, had not slept for 40 hours, and was experiencing dehydration and fatigue. He also added that he had been suffering from depression for several months and was experimenting with treatment using hallucinogenic mushrooms.

[Image source=Pixabay]

Earlier, Emerson is accused of attempting to suddenly shut down the engine of Horizon Air Flight 2059, a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, which took off from Everett, Washington, heading to San Francisco at around 5:23 p.m. the previous day.

The passenger plane was carrying 84 passengers, and Emerson, who was off duty, was seated in a spare seat in the cockpit as per airline industry practice, en route to San Francisco. However, Emerson suddenly tried to activate the in-flight fire suppression system to shut down the engine in the cockpit but was subdued by the captain and other pilots. Thanks to the quick response, the incident did not escalate into a major accident.

The plane then made an emergency landing in Portland, and Emerson was arrested by police waiting on the ground. Emerson is currently reported to have admitted to all charges.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.