“This should not have happened.”

“This should not have happened, and I am responsible for it.” Joseph David Emerson, the American pilot who had tried to cut the engine of a plane in the middle of the robbery in 2023, declared himself guilty on Friday, September 5, the charges against him.

The agreement concluded with the State provides 664 hours of work of general interest, a fine of $ 60,569 and five years of probation, as reported by The Guardian.

In October 2023Joseph David Emerson, 44 and Pilot Line, travel as a simple passenger on an interior flight of their Alaska Airlines company between Everett, in Washington and San Francisco. So often when a homemade driver is on board, he is allowed to settle on the folding side in the cabin.

“You have to handcuff”

But while the plane is in full flight, the man is thrown in the command, “I’m not fine”, then try to understand the two red handles that allow activating the anti-fog system of the plane, which would have had the effect of cutting the fuel supply of the engines.

However, the crew managed to avoid drawing these handles and orders him to leave the cabin. Then he calmly binds to the cabin and launched a host: “You have to handle me immediately or will go wrong.”

The plane and its 80 people on board are confused, landed in Portland, and the man was arrested by the police. We will learn a little later that I had consumed hallucinogenic fungi 48 hours before the flight and suffered depression.

Joseph Emerson told the police that he was very depressed by the recent death of a friend, who had taken psychedelic fungi approximately two days before and had not slept for more than 40 hours. He said he thought he was dreaming at that time and tried to wake up entering the two red handles.

“I knew I couldn’t fly”

Before the judge, Emerson said he acknowledged that he had caused a prejudice not only to passengers, but also to society as a whole, by undergoing confidence in air transport.

A passenger of the flight, Alison Snyder, told the Court that “the consequences proposed today seem insufficient with respect to the elections and acts of Mr. Emerson, whatever their explanations or the circumstances.”

On Friday, in court, Emerson reiterated that he had not been able to perceive reality for a prolonged period after having taken fungi, but “that does not justify the situation,” he said.

664 hours of general interest and fine of $ 60,000

The former pilot also expressed his gratitude to the crew for having dominated him and having saved his life, as well as all other passengers. He described this gesture as “the most beautiful gift that has been done to me”, even if he lost his career and ended in prison.

The conditions of the agreement conclude with the State include five years of probation (period during which certain obligations will be followed and must not return to prison). He will also have to carry out 664 hours of work of general interest (eight hours for each person who endangers) and paid $ 60,569 in compensation, almost everyone will pay Alaska Air Group.