Judge: 'Pilots Are Not Perfect. They Are Human'

Pilot who tried to cut engines midflight gets no additional prison time
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 17, 2025 5:02 PM CST
Pilot Who Tried to Cut Engines Released Without Prison Time
Former Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph Emerson, center, walks into US District Court in Portland, Oregom, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025.   (AP Photo/Molly J. Smith)

A former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 while riding off-duty in the cockpit will serve no additional prison time, a federal judge ruled Monday. US District Judge Amy Baggio sentenced Emerson to time served and supervised release for three years at a hearing in Portland, Oregon, the AP reports. Federal prosecutors had asked for one year in prison, while his attorneys had sought probation. "Pilots are not perfect. They are human," the judge said. "They are people and all people need help sometimes." Joseph Emerson had pleaded guilty or no contest to all charges against him in September as part of agreements with state and federal prosecutors.

  • Emerson was subdued by the flight crew after trying to cut the engines of a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on Oct. 22, 2023, while he was riding in an extra seat in the cockpit. The plane was diverted to Portland, where it landed safely with more than 80 people on board.
  • After his arrest, Emerson told police he was despondent over a friend's recent death, had taken psychedelic mushrooms about two days earlier, and hadn't slept in over 40 hours. He has said that he believed he was dreaming at the time and that he was trying to wake himself up by grabbing two red handles that would have activated the plane's fire suppression system and cut off fuel to its engines.
  • Before Baggio announced the sentence, Emerson spoke and said he regretted the harm he caused to society. "I'm not a victim. I am here as a direct result of my actions," he told the court. "I can tell you that this very tragic event has forced me to grow as an individual."
  • He hugged his attorneys and shared a tearful embrace with his wife after the judge announced she was releasing him, saying his story "offers a cautionary tale worth telling beyond the confines of this case."

  • Multiple people spoke on Emerson's behalf at the hearing, including his wife, Sarah Stretch, who told the judge how the incident had impacted their family. "I am so sorry for those that it's impacted as much as it has. But I am extremely proud to be here with this man today, because the growth that he has had from this terrible experience has not only helped him, but benefited all that surround him," she said through tears. "I just hope people realize that it's not necessarily the mistake itself but how you respond to it. He has responded with courage, strength and demonstration of extreme resiliency."
  • Emerson, of Pleasant Hill, California, was charged in federal court with interfering with a flight crew. A state indictment in Oregon separately charged him with 83 counts of endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft.
  • In September, a state court sentenced Emerson to 50 days in jail, which he served after his arrest in 2023, plus five years' probation, 664 hours of community service—eight hours for each person he endangered—and over $60,000 in restitution, nearly all of it to Alaska Air Group. Half of his community service can be performed at the pilot health nonprofit Emerson founded after his arrest. He must also undergo assessments for drug and alcohol and mental health treatment, refrain from using any unprescribed drugs, and keep at least 25 feet away from operable aircraft unless he has permission from his probation officer.

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