Alaska Airlines pilot charged with attempted murder says he took ‘magic mushrooms’ before flight

The off-duty pilot accused of attempted murder for trying to cut off engines for an Alaska Airlines flight told investigators he took “magic mushrooms” and thought pulling the handles to cut off the flight’s fuel would cause him to “wake up” from a dream.

State court records obtained by CNN show that Joseph Emerson, 44, told law enforcement that he “had consumed ‘magic mushrooms’ approximately 48 hours prior to the incident on the plane.” He also said he had been awake for the last 40 hours, according to a federal court document.

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One of the pilots “grabbed Emerson’s wrists and (the other pilot) reported that they wrestled with Emerson for a few seconds before Emerson stopped and said he was okay,” the documents read, adding that, “Emerson was not able to pull the handles all the way down before the pilots intervened.”

Emerson had experienced depression and the recent death of a friend, according to the documents. He told investigators he was having a nervous breakdown and told the flight crew he needed to be subdued, according to a separate federal criminal complaint.

The off-duty pilot has been charged in both state and federal court. He is charged in Oregon with 83 counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment, and one count of endangering an aircraft. He pleaded not guilty to all state charges on Tuesday.

Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Jenna Plank said his case requires a “more robust release hearing” within five days, according to CNN, so his release has not been addressed.

At the federal level, he faces one count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants.

After taking off from Everett, Washington, on Oct. 22, Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 reported a “security threat related to an off-duty Alaskan Airlines pilot, identified as Captain Joseph Emerson, who was traveling in the flight deck jump seat,” the airline said. Emerson had tried to shut down both engines, but the Flight 2059 crew quickly reset both handles and helped restore the flow of fuel. Authorities do not believe the incident was an act of terrorism or ideologically motivated violence.

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When the flight landed in Portland around 6:30 p.m., Emerson was taken into custody and booked into Multnomah County Detention Center, the FBI said. He remains in custody on a federal hold and is being held without bail, the agency said.

No injuries were reported on the flight, and all passengers aboard Flight 2059 were able to take a later flight to San Francisco.