The US pilot who tried to turn off the engines of a plane in mid-flight had taken hallucinogenic mushrooms

2023-10-25 00:04:49

The American pilot who tried to turn off the engines of a plane in mid-flight while he was a passenger this weekend had taken hallucinogenic mushrooms and thought he was having a nervous breakdown, according to court documents.

The events took place this Sunday, when Joseph Emerson had boarded the flight (operated by Horizon Air) between Everett, Washington state, and San Francisco, California. This one sand sat in a seat in the cabinin accordance with what is established by the airline for its staff outside of service hours.

Shortly after takeoff, after speaking with the pilots “Emerson tried to grab and pull the two red handles that could have activated the system airplane emergency firefighting depriving their engines of fuel,” reports the Department of Justice.

“After a brief physical fight with the pilots, “Emerson left the cabin.” and the pilots reacted quickly by reversing the handles, and the aircraft landed safely. “The crew grabbed Emerson’s wrists and got him to sit in the back of the plane,” the Justice Department states. Also, during the plane’s descent, Emerson tried to grab the emergency door handle, but a flight attendant stopped him in time.”

More than 80 counts of attempted murder

The 44-year-old man was detained Sunday night after the flight made an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon.

Emerson, who He told police he hadn’t slept in 40 hours., also tried to open an emergency door at the rear of the plane and had to be restrained by the crew during a crash landing. “I grabbed the emergency lock handles because I thought I was dreaming. and I wanted to wake up,” Emerson told police, according to the criminal complaint.

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Emerson and the investigating officer “discussed the use of psychedelic mushrooms and Emerson said it was his first time taking them“.

According to the Oregon District Attorney’s Office, Emerson faces a federal charge of interfering with crew members and flight attendants. He has also been charged in Oregon with 83 counts of attempted murder.83 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an airplane.