PORTLAND, Ore. — The off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot accused of attempting to shut down the engines on a plane midflight appeared in federal court for arraignment Thursday afternoon.
His wife, Sarah Stretch, wiped away tears as he entered the courtroom. She, along with Emerson's friends, family and co-workers, sat directly behind him in the courtroom.
Emerson said nothing when he appeared before the judge. The defense did not ask for release.
After court, his wife and attorney said that Emerson was not suicidal. His wife also said that she spoke with him this morning and Emerson is doing better than yesterday.
Kieran Ramsey, the FBI Special Agent in charge of the Portland office, also praised the crew for their handling of the situation that "could have been disastrous."
Emerson's defense attorney, Ethan Levi, also expressed gratitude from Emerson for the crew's "heroic and timely actions," particularly with the "very kind ... and very understanding" flight attendants, who had been warned by Emerson to handcuff him during the incident.
Levi added, "[Emerson] would like to reiterate that he had no intention to harm himself or anybody on the airplane when he acted, and we hope to release more information as time goes on."
Emerson's other defense attorney, Noah Horst, said in a statement Wednesday that Emerson wasn't under the influence of any intoxicants on the plane, despite Emerson telling police that he had had taken psychedelic mushrooms, according to a federal affidavit filed Tuesday.
"Joseph Emerson is a caring father, a loving husband, and a skilled aviator who is supported and loved by a vast network of friends, family, and colleagues," Horst said. "He would never intentionally hurt another person. Joe was not under the influence of any intoxicants when he boarded that flight. We will pursue a diligent investigation into all the facts and circumstances surrounding the events and request that you respect the family’s privacy."
Police stated Emerson did not appear to be under the influence when interviewed on Sunday.
"I didn't feel okay. It seemed like the pilots weren't paying attention to what was going on. They didn't ... it didn't seem right," Emerson told police, according to the affidavit, adding, "I pulled both emergency shut-off handles because I thought I was dreaming, and I just wanna wake up."
Alaska Airlines, which owns Horizon, also said in a statement that gate agents and the flight crew did not notice any signs of impairment that would have prevented him from getting on the plane. Airlines use CASS, or Cockpit Access Security System, to determine who can sit in a jump seat, which went into effect in 2005. Emerson was eligible to be in the jump seat as a current Alaska Airlines captain.
John J. Nance, an air safety advocate and former captain for Alaska Airlines, spoke about the rarity of this situation.
"In many cases, probably 50-60%, a jump seat is filled with a pilot. And nothing has gone wrong for almost 30 years," Nance said.
Emerson also told police that he had a nervous breakdown and recently lost a friend, but Levi clarified Thursday that said friend, who was Emerson's best man at his wedding, had died six years ago.
Alaska Airlines said Tuesday that Emerson had been relieved of all duties.
State prosecutors have charged Emerson with 83 counts of second-degree attempted murder, one for each of the other passengers and crew on the plane, and one count of endangering an aircraft. Federal prosecutors have charged him by criminal complaint with one count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants, which can carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Emerson was arraigned Tuesday afternoon at the Multnomah County courthouse, where he entered a plea of not guilty to all of the state charges.
His next federal arraignment scheduled for Nov. 22 at 1:30 pm.
The Associated Press contributed in the writing of this report.
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