Airline pilot who flipped out midair was 'afraid' to report depression wife says
An Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to turn the plane engines off midair was afraid to report his depression, his wife has claimed.
Sarah Stretch, Joseph Emerson's wife, said he had just come back from an emotional weekend with friends and family of his closest friend, who had passed away unexpectedly five and half years ago. The death hit him hard and he became depressed, she added.
“I had brought up during that, I was like, ‘Maybe you should talk to somebody,’” said Stretch, who also asked her husband if he could take medication for his mental health struggles. “And then he expressed to me, ‘Sarah, I can’t be out of work. We have to pay a mortgage. If I go do that, I have to go through all these other hoops …and we can’t afford to do that.’”
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The off-duty pilot tried to turn the engines off mid-flight (X)The Federal Aviation Administration has strict guidelines around mental health, according to experts. It relies on pilots to self-report any physical and mental health issues and if a pilot reports they have started visiting a therapist for depression, they are taken away from flying. Regaining medical clearance to fly can take years and is often arduous.
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Emerson faces 83 charges of attempted murder after he told investigators he had a "nervous breakdown" while on a flight from Washington to San Francisco. He claimed he hadn't slept in over 40 hours and had taken magic mushrooms just 48 hours before the flight, according to court documents.
The pilot has been sacked by the airline (REX/Shutterstock)Ethan Levi, a defence lawyer for Emerson, said his client was not suicidal or homicidal while on board the Horizon Air flight. “There was no intention to harm himself or other people,” he said.
State and federal prosecutors accused Emerson of trying to engage an emergency fire suppression system while riding in the cockpit jump seat as an off-duty pilot on Horizon Air flight 2059 from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on Sunday. After a brief struggle with the pilots, he left the cockpit and was placed in wrist restraints in the back of the plane, according to court documents.
The pilot has said he was suffering with mental health problems (AP)The plane was diverted to Portland, where it landed safely with more than 80 people on board. Emerson has pleaded not guilty to state charges of attempted murder. Federal prosecutors meanwhile charged Emerson with interfering with a flight crew, which can carry up to 20 years in prison.
The FBI affidavit said Emerson, who as an off-duty pilot was authorised to ride in the cockpit’s jump seat, made casual conversation with the captain and first officer when the plane was between Astoria, Oregon, and Portland, before trying to grab two red handles that would have activated the plane’s fire suppression system and cut off fuel to its engines.
After what the flight crew described as a struggle lasting only about 30 seconds, Emerson left the cockpit, the FBI said. Flight attendants placed Emerson in wrist restraints and seated him in the rear of the aircraft, but as the plane descended, he tried to grab the handle of an emergency exit, according to the document. A flight attendant stopped him by placing her hands on top of his, it said.
Alaska Airlines said on Tuesday that Emerson had been relieved of all duties.
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