What did Joseph Emerson do? Cryptic tweets explored as off-duty pilot accused of attempting to crash Alaska plane

On Sunday, October 22, an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot, Joseph Emerson, was arrested and charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after he allegedly tried to crash a passenger plane bound from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, California.

Joseph Emerson, 44, who lives in Pleasant Hill, was reportedly traveling in the flight deck jumpseat on Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 when he allegedly tried to shut down the engines of a plane with 80 passengers and four crew members onboard, including Emerson.

Emerson was accused of allegedly trying to pull the engine fire handle, which activated the plane engines' fire suppression system about 30 minutes into the flight while the plane was flying at about 31,000 feet. Alaska Airlines told CBS News if Emerson had succeeded, he would have shut off fuel to the engine.

However, the crew members reportedly subdued Emerson before resetting the T-handles, which ensured engine power was not lost. Shortly after, Crew members reported the incident to air traffic control.

"We've got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit, and he doesn't sound like he's causing any issue in the back right now. The pilot relayed that the suspect was subdued before requesting police presence "as soon as we got on the ground and parked".

The plane was reportedly diverted to Portland, Oregon, where Emerson was taken into custody and booked into Multnomah County jail. No injuries were reported.

---

Joseph Emerson tweeted politicians seeking financial aid for pilots during the pandemic

While authorities continue to investigate the case, the potential motive that drove Joseph Emerson to crash the plane with 80 passengers is unclear. Aubrey Gavello, a passenger in the plane, told ABC News the crew had alerted them about a medical emergency, saying Emerson had experienced a mental breakdown shortly after the incident.

“The flight attendant got back on the speaker and said, plain and simple, ‘He had a mental breakdown. We needed to get him off the plane immediately,’ ” Gavello said.

As authorities explore the circumstances that led up to the incident, Emersin's old tweets suggested he was growing increasingly frustrated over the government's indifference to alleviate the issues faced by airline pilots.

Last year, On X, Joseph David Emerson, writing as Joe Emerson, tweeted his support for Alaska pilots who were picketing in demand for a new employment contract “with reasonable solutions that address work rules, scheduling flexibility, and career-security issues.”

Emerson’s old tweets suggested that he was frustrated over labor issues faced by pilots. In December 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Emerson tweeted top politicians demanding relief for aviation pilots:

“Thousands of my fellow @WeAreALPA pilots have been furloughed. Inaction has consequences. We need #ReliefNow. @senfeinstein, #ExtendPSP to help U.S. aviation workers before December 18. The longer we delay, the more lives will be shattered, and the economy stalled.”

He also tweeted:

“The future of air travel remains highly depressed. Immediate relief for the #the airline industry is critical of @SpeakerPelosi, @SenateMajLdr, @RepDeSaulnier, and @WhiteHouse to support our economic rebuilding. Don’t let our voices go unheard!”

Emerson has not tweeted since he showed his support to Alaska pilots in 2022.

---

What we know about Joseph Emerson

A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines told CBS that Joseph Emerson, a father of two young children, was first hired by Horizon Air in 2001 as a first officer, where he worked until 2012.

He then joined Virgin America as a pilot and became an Alaska Airlines first officer when they acquired Virgin America in 2016. Emerson was reportedly promoted to Alaska Airlines captain in 2019.

"Throughout his career, Emerson completed his mandated FAA medical certifications in accordance with regulatory requirements, and at no point were his certifications denied, suspended or revoked," Alaska Airlines spokesperson Cailee Lyngaas told CBS News.

According to Kron 4, Joseph Emerson’s neighbors, who were shocked to hear about the incident, described him as a “positive, very friendly, upbeat” father of two.