Imagine boarding a routine flight, only to discover your off-duty pilot tried to shut off the engines—while high on magic mushrooms. Sounds like a movie plot, right? But this jaw-dropping story was all too real for 84 passengers on a Horizon Air jet in 2023.

This is the wild true tale of Joseph Emerson, a former Alaska Airlines pilot from Pleasant Hill, California. On a seemingly ordinary day, Emerson was catching a ride in the cockpit's extra seat—known as the jump seat—on Horizon Air flight 2059, traveling from Everett to San Francisco. But instead of just hitching a ride back home like many off-duty pilots do, Emerson suddenly reached for the red fire suppression handles. These controls, if pulled, would have instantly killed the plane’s engines and put everyone in grave danger. Luckily, the quick-thinking pilots managed to stop him, diverting the flight safely to Portland.

What could drive a trained pilot to such a reckless act? After his arrest, Emerson confessed to police that he’d taken psilocybin—better known as magic mushrooms—about two days before the flight. He was also devastated by a friend’s recent death and hadn’t slept in over 40 hours. In court, Emerson said, “I had no intention of harming anyone, but I still made the decision to take psilocybin, and that led to my inability to determine that I was operating in reality for an extended period of time.” He admitted, “What happened was wrong and should not have happened, and I bear the responsibility for that.”

AI generated newscast about the pilot incident has sent shockwaves through the aviation world, as Emerson now faces the consequences of his actions. He pleaded guilty to interfering with a flight crew—a federal crime that could land him in prison for up to 20 years. Additionally, in Oregon’s state court, he pleaded no contest (which legally counts as a guilty plea) to 83 counts of endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft. As part of a plea deal, Emerson has already served 50 days in jail, will spend five years on probation, must perform 664 hours of community service, and pay over $60,000 in restitution. But the real sentencing is yet to come; his federal court date is set for November 17.

Imagine the shock for the pilots and passengers who narrowly avoided disaster that day. Prosecutors didn’t mince words. Multnomah County deputy district attorney Eric Pickard wrote, “Joseph Emerson did was reckless, selfish, and criminal... We should remember how close he came to ruining the lives of not just the 84 people aboard Flight 2059, but all of their family members and friends as well.”

This AI generated newscast about pilot safety and the risks of substance use at 30,000 feet has sparked major debates about mental health and substance abuse within high-stakes jobs. As the world watches and waits for his final sentencing, one fact is crystal clear: sometimes, real life is wilder than fiction.