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Tag: cockpit

  • Delta flight makes emergency landing after pilot says passenger tried to access cockpit

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    A Delta Air Lines flight from Houston to Atlanta made an emergency landing early Wednesday after a passenger tried to access the cockpit, the pilot told air traffic controllers.Delta flight 2557, a Boeing 717 aircraft, had just taken off from Houston’s Hobby Airport when the pilot declared an emergency. Eight-five passengers and five crew members were on board, according to Delta.“We had a passenger get up and try to access the cockpit,” the pilot can be heard in a radio recording with air traffic control captured by Broadcastify. “Can you coordinate and have security standing by?”After confirming the cockpit was secure, he requested police and paramedics meet the plane when it landed.“(He is) in cuffs in the back of the aircraft, but he did assault another passenger, so we would like that other passenger checked out,” the pilot told air traffic control.In 2025, there were 1,621 unruly passengers reported to the Federal Aviation Administration. So far, in 2026, there have been 126.Wednesday, the plane signaled an emergency using its transponder and landed back at Hobby Airport about 17 minutes after taking off. Emergency vehicles accompanied the plane to the gate.“They are coming to the gate. The police are there waiting,” an air traffic controller told emergency responders. “Follow the aircraft to the ramp.”Delta later told CNN that the passenger “approached crew and customers but did not make contact with or attempt to access the flight deck.”“The safety of our customers and crew is paramount, and Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior,” the airline said in a statement. “We apologize to our customers for this experience and delay in their travels.”The flight later took off again and arrived in Atlanta about 90 minutes behind schedule.The FAA is investigating the incident.

    A Delta Air Lines flight from Houston to Atlanta made an emergency landing early Wednesday after a passenger tried to access the cockpit, the pilot told air traffic controllers.

    Delta flight 2557, a Boeing 717 aircraft, had just taken off from Houston’s Hobby Airport when the pilot declared an emergency. Eight-five passengers and five crew members were on board, according to Delta.

    “We had a passenger get up and try to access the cockpit,” the pilot can be heard in a radio recording with air traffic control captured by Broadcastify. “Can you coordinate and have security standing by?”

    After confirming the cockpit was secure, he requested police and paramedics meet the plane when it landed.

    “(He is) in cuffs in the back of the aircraft, but he did assault another passenger, so we would like that other passenger checked out,” the pilot told air traffic control.

    In 2025, there were 1,621 unruly passengers reported to the Federal Aviation Administration. So far, in 2026, there have been 126.

    Wednesday, the plane signaled an emergency using its transponder and landed back at Hobby Airport about 17 minutes after taking off. Emergency vehicles accompanied the plane to the gate.

    “They are coming to the gate. The police are there waiting,” an air traffic controller told emergency responders. “Follow the aircraft to the ramp.”

    Delta later told CNN that the passenger “approached crew and customers but did not make contact with or attempt to access the flight deck.”

    “The safety of our customers and crew is paramount, and Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior,” the airline said in a statement. “We apologize to our customers for this experience and delay in their travels.”

    The flight later took off again and arrived in Atlanta about 90 minutes behind schedule.

    The FAA is investigating the incident.

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

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    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.”Loved ones and pilots addressed the judgeEmerson’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 was already sentenced in state caseEmerson, 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.

    PORTLAND, Ore. —

    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.”

    Loved ones and pilots addressed the judge

    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 was already sentenced in state case

    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.

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  • This Pilot's Incredible Instagram Shows Earth From The Sky

    This Pilot's Incredible Instagram Shows Earth From The Sky

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    The celestial sky has entranced humans for thousands of years, now one man is capturing it from the sky. This pilot’s incredible Instragam show earth from the sky.  Christiaan van Heijst has the eye to snap the magic and is sharing it with the public. He draws lots of attention for what he does in the cockpit of thejets he flies.

    A self-described traveler, airline pilot, adventurer, photographer and admirer of natural light, the 34-year-old has racked up tens of thousands of Instagram followers for the stunning pictures he takes 38,000 feet above earth.

    A senior first officer on the Boeing 747-8 and 747-400 Freighter, Heijst has also logged thousands of hours of flying time and a photo roll that would make astronauts jealous.

    RELATED: 7 Instagram Pro-Tips For The Best Food Feed

    According to one of his photos, Heijst says you won’t find a photo of him on his IG account: “I absolutely prefer to stay behind the camera instead of in front of it. My photos should not be about me and my ego, but about the views that that I capture and the moods I try to convey.”

    The closest thing to a selfie is a photo of his hand with the caption, “Flying under a blue super moon, we are crossing central Iran and the whole world is illuminated by the major lunar lightbulb that casts her magic all over the world. Ever since I was young I’ve always been in awe of the moon and her special light. On nights like these, where Im am one of the very few privileged people to see the planet from 38.000ft, I let my hand rest on the glare shield in front of me and play with the delicate light and shadows from the moon above.

    “I love night flights like these. A private show of the most beautiful light and landscapes I could wish for.”

    RELATED: 9 Adorable Dogs That Have A Better Instagram Account Than You

    Heijst says he still considers himself privileged to fly for a living and enjoy a life in the sky. You can find out more about him (and see what he looks like!) on his blog.

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    Amy Hansen

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  • Off-duty pilot may have been on psychedelic mushrooms when he tried to shut off plane engines, official says

    Off-duty pilot may have been on psychedelic mushrooms when he tried to shut off plane engines, official says

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    The FBI is investigating whether an off-duty pilot who tried to shut down the engines of an in-flight jetliner on Sunday was on psychedelic mushrooms, an official told The Times.

    Federal prosecutors in Oregon have charged Joseph Emerson, 44, with interference with flight crew members and attendants. Emerson was arrested after pilots and crew members detained him Sunday following an outburst in the cockpit during a Horizon Airlines flight from Seattle that was headed to San Francisco. Horizon Airlines is a regional carrier owned by the parent company that owns Alaska Airlines.

    In a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday, an FBI agent revealed that Emerson told investigators about his use of psychedelic mushrooms and said “it was his first time taking mushrooms.”

    But FBI officials declined to confirm that Emerson had taken mushrooms at the time of the midair incident.

    “It is vague in [the complaint], but that is part of what [the] FBI is investigating,” said Joy Jiras, an FBI Portland field office spokesperson. “The FBI is investigating the timeline of his use of magic mushrooms. We are trying to figure out whether he was on them that day or whether they were in his system or not.”

    Emerson had been flying in the “jump seat,” a foldout seat usually placed behind the captain’s seat, according to experts.

    “I am not OK,” Emerson said during the flight, after he had been casually engaging the two pilots in conversation, a federal agent said in the complaint.

    Both pilots then saw Emerson grab onto the red fire handles, which are used to extinguish engine fires and shut down all fuel to the engines, potentially turning the plane into a glider, the pilots told federal investigators.

    One pilot struggled with Emerson for about 25 or 30 seconds before the off-duty pilot “quickly settled down,” according to the complaint.

    The other pilot saw Emerson throw his headset across the cockpit before saying he was not OK.

    The pilots said the interaction with Emerson lasted about 90 seconds before they were able to remove him and secure the cockpit, the complaint said.

    Flight attendants then saw Emerson “peacefully walking to the back of the aircraft,” the complaint said. They had received a call from the pilots saying that Emerson was “losing it,” and he told one attendant that he “just got kicked out of the flight deck,” according to investigators.

    “You need to cuff me right now, or it’s going to be bad,” he told the attendant.

    He was cuffed and seated in the back of the plane, according to the complaint, where he tried to grab the handle of an emergency exit before he was stopped by a crew member.

    Another crew member said that Emerson made statements about how “he tried to kill everybody,” the complaint said.

    “The flight attendant noticed Emerson take out his cellular phone and appeared to be texting on the phone. Emerson was heard saying he had just put 84 peoples’ lives at risk tonight including his own,” FBI Agent Tapara Simmons wrote in the complaint.

    After the plane made an emergency landing in Portland, Ore., Emerson was detained. He told police he had become depressed six months ago, according to the complaint.

    He talked with the officer about “the use of psychedelic mushrooms” and said “it was his first time taking mushrooms.”

    “I’m admitting to what I did. I’m not fighting any charges you want to bring against me, guys,” he told police, according to the complaint.

    Emerson was booked by police in Multnomah County on suspicion of 83 counts of attempted murder. It was not clear whether the state case would continue in light of federal charges.

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    Noah Goldberg

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