Off-duty pilot who tried to cut a flight’s engines midair won't serve prison time, judge rules

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday ruled there would be no prison time for a former Alaska Airlines pilot who had taken psychedelic mushrooms days before he tried to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 while riding off-duty in the cockpit.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Baggio in Portland, Oregon, sentenced Joseph Emerson to time served and three years' supervised release, ending a case that drew attention to the need for cockpit safety and more mental health support for pilots.

Federal prosecutors wanted a year in prison, while his attorneys sought probation.

“Pilots are not perfect. They are human,” Baggio said. “They are people and all people need help sometimes.”

Emerson hugged his attorneys and tearfully embraced his wife after he was sentenced.

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 and landed in Portland with more than 80 people.

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 he believed he was dreaming and was trying to wake up by grabbing two red handles that would have activated the fire suppression system and cut fuel to the engines.

He spent 46 days in jail and was released pending trial in December 2023, with requirements that he undergo mental health services, stay off drugs and alcohol, and keep away from aircraft.

Attorney Ethan Levi described his client's actions as “a product of untreated alcohol use disorder.” Emerson had been drinking and accepted mushrooms “because of his lower inhibitions,” Levi said.

Emerson went to treatment after jail and has been sober since, he added.

Baggio said the case is a cautionary tale. Before she sentenced him, Emerson said he regretted the harm he caused.

“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.”

Emerson’s wife, Sarah Stretch, was among those who spoke on his behalf at the hearing.

“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.

One of the pilots of the 2023 Horizon Air flight, Alan Koziol, said he didn't think Emerson was acting with malice and that he seemed “more like a trapped animal than a man in control of his faculties.” Koziol said that while pilots bear “immense responsibility,” he also wanted to see the aviation industry become more open to allowing pilots to seek mental health care.

Lyle Prouse, sentenced to 16 months in prison for flying an airliner under the influence of alcohol in 1990, told the judge via videoconference that Emerson was “solidly engaged" in recovering. Prouse said he got sober and was eventually reinstated by the airline and retired as a 747 captain. He was pardoned by then-President Bill Clinton.

“I know Joe like nobody else in this courtroom knows Joe on that level,” he said.

Geoffrey Barrow, assistant U.S. attorney in the district of Oregon, said Emerson's actions were serious and that the crew “saved the day by intervening."

“There were 84 people on that plane who could have lost their lives," he said.

Alison Snyder told the court via phone that it was a traumatic experience for her and her husband as passengers.

“Because of Joseph Emerson's actions that day, we will never feel as safe flying as we once did," she said.

Emerson, of Pleasant Hill, California, had pleaded guilty or no-contest to all charges in September as part of agreements with prosecutors.

He 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.

A state court sentenced him to 50 days in jail, with credit for time served, plus five years of probation, 664 hours of community service — half of which he can serve at his own pilot health nonprofit — and over $60,000 in restitution, nearly all of it to Alaska Air Group. His sentence included rules over drugs, alcohol and mental health treatment, as well as avoiding aircraft.

His attorneys argued before federal sentencing that the “robust” state prosecution “resulted in substantial punishment.”

Emerson told a state court in September he was grateful the crew restrained him. He said being forced to confront his mental health and alcohol dependence was the greatest gift he ever received.

Mike Tacconi, left, and Carmen Loeffler, right, friends of former Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph Emerson, speak in support of Emerson following his sentencing at the U.S. District Court in Portland, Ore., Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Molly J. Smith)

Former Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph Emerson, center, walks into U.S. District Court in Portland, Ore., Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Molly J. Smith)

Former Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph Emerson, center, walks into U.S. District Court in Portland, Ore., Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Molly J. Smith)

FILE - Joseph David Emerson, back, appears in Multnomah County Circuit Court for an indictment hearing in Portland, Ore., on Dec. 7, 2023. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP, Pool, File)

NEW DELHI (AP) — At least 25 people, including tourists, were killed in a fire at a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state, the state’s chief minister said Sunday.

The blaze occurred just past midnight in Arpora village in North Goa, a party hub, some 25 kilometers (15-miles) from the state capital, Panaji.

Goa’s chief minister, Pramod Sawant, said most of the dead were the club’s kitchen workers, as well as three to four tourists. Six people were injured and are in stable condition, he said. All the bodies have been recovered.

The fire was caused by a gas cylinder blast and has been extinguished, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting local police. However, eyewitnesses told the agency that the fire began on the club’s first floor, where tourists were dancing. It said at least 100 people were on the dance floor when the fire broke out and several rushed to the kitchen below in the chaos and got trapped along with staff.

Fatima Shaikh, an eyewitness, said the commotion began as flames erupted, according to the news agency. “We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames,” she said.

The nightclub, located along the Arpora river backwaters, had a narrow entry and exit that forced the fire brigades to park their tankers about 400 meters away, the news agency said. The restricted access delayed firefighting efforts, it reported, citing local officials.

Sawant, the state's top elected official who called it an “unfortunate incident during peak tourist season,” said the club had violated fire safety norms. The state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident to determine the exact cause of the fire and determine responsibility, he said, adding that the government would act against the club management and officials who allowed it to operate despite these violations.

Local village council official Roshan Redkar told the news agency that authorities had earlier issued a demolition notice for the club as it had no construction permit from the government. But higher officials rolled back the order, he said.

Regulations are poorly enforced in India where some public sector officials and builders cut corners, leading to safety hazards.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post called the incident deeply saddening and said he spoke with Sawant about the situation. He said the state government “is providing all possible assistance to those affected” while offering condolences to the victims’ families.

Accidents, particularly involving gas cylinders and electric short circuits, aren’t uncommon in India and often result in casualties, underlining the need for authorities to implement stringent safety protocols.

The western coastal state of Goa is one of India’s most popular tourist destinations, known for its sandy beaches.

The charred interiors of a nightclub, which caught fire early Sunday, are seen in Arpora, Goa, India, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)