Alaska

Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to crash plane midflight in magic mushrooms trip dodges additional prison time

Published

3 weeks ago

November 18, 2025

Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to crash plane midflight in magic mushrooms trip dodges additional prison time

A former off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to crash a San Francisco-bound flight by shutting off the engines while on a sleepless bender fueled by psycahdelic mushrooms won’t serve any additional prison time, a federal judge ruled.

Joseph Emerson was sentenced Monday to time served and three years’ supervised release by US District Court Judge Amy Baggio in Portland, Oregon — dodging a year of prison time sought by federal prosecutors.

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

Emerson was subdued by the flight crew aboard a Horizon flight from Everett, Washington to San Francisco on Oct. 22, 2023, after trying to cut the engines while riding off-duty in the cockpit.

He told police that he was grieving his friend and had taken psychedelic mushrooms two days earlier and hadn’t slept in over 40 hours when he tried to pull the hijinx on the flight with over 80 passengers on board.

Emerson recalled believing he was dreaming and tried to wake up by grabbing two red handles that could have activated the fire suppression system and cut fuel to the engines.

Had he been successful, he would have immediately cut off the flow of fuel to the engines.

The flight was diverted and landed in Portland after the harrowing ordeal.

His attorney, Ethan Levi, described Emerson’s actions as “a product of untreated alcohol use disorder.” The distressed pilot had been drinking and accepted mushrooms “because of his lower inhibitions.”

Emerson spent 46 days in jail and was released pending his trial in Dec. 2023, with the court ordering him to stay sober from drugs and alcohol, undergo mental health services, and stay away from aircraft.

He went to treatment after jail and has been sober since, Levi said.

Before he was sentenced, Emerson said he regretted the harm he caused.

“I’m not a victim. I am here as a direct result of my actions,” Emerson told the court. “I can tell you that this very tragic event has forced me to grow as an individual.”

His wife, Sarah Stretch, also told the courtroom that she was proud of how her husband had grown since the incident.

“I am so sorry for those that it’s impacted as much as it has,” Stretch said.

One of the pilots aboard the Horizon Air flight, Alan Koziol, recalled not believing that Emerson had been trying to hurt anyone by reaching to cut the engines, and that he seemed “more like a trapped animal than a man in control of his faculties,” he recalled.

Kozial maintained that while pilots bear an “immense responsibility,” the aviation industry should allow pilots more freedom to seek mental health care.

Geoffrey Barrow, assistant US 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.

A passenger aboard the flight, Alison Snyder, told the courtroom over the phone that she and her husband will never feel safe flying again after Emerson pulled the near-catastrophic maneuver.

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

Emerson pleaded guilty in September to all charges against him as part of an agreement with prosecutors.

He faced federal charges of 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.

On the state level, he was sentenced to 50 days in jail, with credit for time served, and five years of probation.

The state court also ordered him to complete 664 hours of community service, half of which he can serve at his own pilot health nonprofit, “Clear Skies Ahead.”

He will additionally shell out $60,000 in restitution, mostly to Alaska Air Group, and abide by provisions on drugs, alcohol, mental health treatment, and avoiding aircraft, the state ordered.

With Post wires.

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Alaska

Alaska Airlines launches new nonstop Seattle-to-London flight starting in 2026

Published

11 hours ago

December 9, 2025

Press Room

Alaska Airlines launches new nonstop Seattle-to-London flight starting in 2026

Alaska Airlines announced its newest nonstop flight out of Seattle: a straight shot to London.

Starting in May 2026, the nonstop flight will travel from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Heathrow Airport, the largest international airport in the United Kingdom. The airport resides in Hounslow, located an hour outside of London.

The daily service will operate on Alaska Airlines’ 787 Dreamliner.

London is Alaska Airlines’ fifth intercontinental destination, alongside Rome, Reykjavik, Tokyo, and Seoul. According to the airline, the new route strengthens business ties, with London being the largest corporate market from Seattle.

“By 2030, we plan to serve at least 12 intercontinental destinations from Seattle, with additional routes to be announced in the years to come,” Alaska Airlines stated. “We currently have four Boeing 787-9s in our fleet, with a fifth aircraft recently delivered.”

Guests traveling from the U.S. can now purchase airfares to London for as low as $699 round-trip at alaskaair.com.

Alaska Airlines hit hard by federal shutdown

According to aviation analysts, the federal shutdown cost Alaska Airlines millions of dollars. The airline’s fourth-quarter income is expected to fall by $32 million.

The company told investors it lost 15 cents per share. Flight cancellations at SEA and other airports lasted 43 days.

According to The Puget Sound Business Journal, Delta reports a $200 million hit. United, JetBlue, and Southwest could see losses, too.

Follow Frank Sumrall on X. Send news tips here.

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Alaska

Warnings continue for wind, snow, and extreme cold across Alaska

Published

23 hours ago

December 9, 2025

Press Room

Warnings continue for wind, snow, and extreme cold across Alaska

ANCHORAGE, AK (Alaska’s News Source) – Extreme wind has been non-stop for more than 60 hours in Wasilla in Palmer, where peak wind gusts have reached over 80 mph three days in a row.

Peak winds have been over 80 mph for the last three days in Palmer.(Melissa Frey)

Wind gusts at the Palmer Airport climbed over 50 mph Friday evening and didn’t drop below until late Monday evening.

Peak winds have been over 50 mph for more than 60 hours.(Melissa Frey)

The High Wind Warning for the Matanuska Valley will continue through 6 a.m. on Tuesday. Calmer conditions are likely on Tuesday afternoon as the winds relax across the area.

High Wind Warnings continue in the Mat-Su.(Melissa Frey)

Send us your weather photos and videos here!

The rest of Southcentral remains clear and dry, with temperatures likely dropping to the lowest levels of the season starting Tuesday morning. This pattern will continue through the end of the week.

Download the free Alaska’s News Source Weather App for the latest forecast in your area.

In Southeast, Winter Storm Warnings are still in effect near Ketchikan for up to 8″ of additional snow through Tuesday. Winter Weather Advisories are also in effect near Hyder for an additional 9-12″ of snow on Tuesday.

The snow has ended across the northern areas of Southeast, but extreme cold is setting in. Wind Chill values will reach as low as -50° near Skagway, to -25° near Haines, and to -15° near Juneau.

The Copper River Basin will also experience extreme wind chill values to -50° through Tuesday afternoon.

In the Interior, temperatures dropped to -30° for the first time Monday morning, and we’ll see several nights at that cold level this week.

24/7 Alaska Weather: Get access to live radar, satellite, weather cameras, current conditions, and the latest weather forecast here. Also available through the Alaska’s News Source streaming app available on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.

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Alaska

Oregon State women pull away late to avoid upset against Alaska Anchorage

Published

1 day ago

December 8, 2025

Press Room

Oregon State women pull away late to avoid upset against Alaska Anchorage

That was close. At least for a while.

Oregon State women’s basketball avoided an upset loss to Division II Alaska Anchorage on Sunday at Gill Coliseum, going on a 15-3 run to end the game and beat the visiting Seawolves, 69-53.

The Beavers (6-4) started slow but took control in the second half, surviving a barrage of three-pointers (11 of 37) from Alaska Anchorage (7-2) to pull out a win.

OSU was led by Tiara Bolden with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists. Katelyn Field poured in 11 as well for the Beavers on 3 of 6 three-point shooting.

10 different players scored as OSU coach Scott Rueck relied on his bench to get the team out of a funk.

The Beavers got off to a sluggish start. Alaska Anchorage came out firing, and took a 10-8 lead at the midpoint in the first quarter on a three by Kimberly Carrada.

After one, with the Seawolves shooting 56%, the Beavers trailed 24-18.

In the second quarter, Rueck emptied his bench and put typical reserves in the game, seemingly to send a message after a lackluster effort by his starters.

Alaska Anchorage extended its lead to 34-27 at one point, but OSU rattled off a 7-0 run to end the half and tie things up. The Beavers had 10 turnovers at half, with the Seawolves hitting six of an eye-popping 20 three-point attempts.

Rueck kept reserves in the game to start the second half, but when he re-inserted his starters, the Beavers opened up a 44-36 lead thanks in large part to Bolden’s scoring.

Jenna Villa hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to end the third, her first basket of the game after a cold start, which gave OSU a 52-42 lead through three.

Alaska Anchorage kept chucking from downtown as the fourth quarter began, and a pair of makes cut the OSU lead down to 54-48.

Despite going cold from the field, the Beavers tightened up their defense to keep it a six-point lead for an extended period. It got as close as four.

But Field nailed a three to get it to 59-50 with under four minutes remaining, and Bolden hit a pair of jumpers to extend the run to 10-0 and lead to 64-50 with 1:35 to go. The Beavers didn’t look back.

Next game: Oregon State (6-4) vs. Arizona State (10-0)