Alaska Airlines Flight 2059

Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 was a scheduled domestic flight operated by Horizon Air for Alaska Airlines that was traveling from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, to San Francisco International Airport on October 22, 2023, with 83 people aboard when Joseph David Emerson, an off-duty pilot deadheading in the jump seat of the cockpit, attempted to disable the plane's engines. The Embraer E175 aircraft was operating at 31000 ft when Emerson attempted to activate the emergency fire suppression systems on both engines, which would have cut the fuel supply and caused a flameout.

According to court affidavits, Emerson later told investigators that he had not slept in 40 hours, had been depressed, had just suffered through the death of his best friend, and had tried psychedelic mushrooms for the first time to assuage his grief just 48 hours earlier. Believing that he "was dreaming" and wanting to awaken, he pulled both of the fire suppression system handles. The crew reset the systems, removed Emerson from the cockpit, and diverted to Portland International Airport in Oregon, where Emerson was arrested. He was later charged with 83 counts of attempted murder and other charges. He was released back to his California home on December 7, 2023, after posting a $50,000 bond.

Incident

Flight 2059 took off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, on October 22, 2023, and was traveling to San Francisco International Airport. The flight was operated by Horizon Air, a regional airline, owned by Alaska Air Group, the parent company of Alaska Airlines, who marketed and sold the seats on the flight. The aircraft carried 79 passengers along with five crew members: the captain and first officer on the flight deck, two flight attendants in the cabin, and an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot, Joseph David Emerson, who was deadheading, sitting in the jump seat of the flight deck.

As the aircraft was flying south near Portland, Oregon, Emerson reportedly exclaimed "I'm not OK" and pulled the two "T-handle" controls that engage the fire suppression system for the aircraft's engines. If a handle is fully deployed, it shuts down the engine by closing a valve to shut off fuel flow to the engine before discharging a firefighting agent. In a statement, Alaska Airlines said the crew was able to quickly reset the handles, ensuring engine power was not lost. After being told to leave the cockpit, Emerson walked calmly to the back of the plane and told a flight attendant, "You need to cuff me right now or it's going to be bad," the affidavit said. Flight attendants put Emerson in wrist restraints. Another flight attendant heard him saying, "I messed everything up" and "I tried to kill everybody." Shortly after the incident took place, while the plane was still in the air, one of the flight's pilots told air traffic control, "We've got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit, and he doesn't sound like he's causing any issues in the back right now."

The flight was diverted to Portland International Airport. As the plane descended, Emerson allegedly "tried to grab the handle of an emergency exit" but was stopped by a flight attendant, prosecutors said. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, no injuries occurred during the incident.

After Emerson was taken into custody, the passengers boarded another Horizon Air E175 to San Francisco. The plane involved in the incident returned to service the next day.