Pleasant Hill pilot facing felony charges after trying to seize control of SFO-bound aircraft

PLEASANT HILL, CA (Oct. 24, 2023) — A Pleasant Hill resident is in custody following an attempt to take control of a Horizon Air flight bound for the Bay Area on Sunday.

The alleged erratic behavior by Joseph David Emerson, 44, occurred as he was riding in the regional aircraft’s cockpit jump seat of Flight 2059 after it left Everett, Oregon. The flight subsequently made an emergency landing in Portland where Emerson was taken into custody.

Emerson, who is being held without bail in Multnomah County (Oregon) Detention Center, was scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday on 83 felony counts of attempted murder, 83 misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, and one felony count of endangerment of an aircraft.

As is standard procedure, the flight deck, where the jump seat is located, is locked at all times.

“There are strict protocols for riding in the jump seat,” said Ross Aimer, spokesperson and CEO of Aero Consulting Experts. “But you just never know when a person might snap.”

According to an Alaska Airlines spokesperson, Emerson was hired by Horizon Air in 2001. Since then, he has been employed by Virgin America and Alaska Airlines.

Alaska officials declined to specify why Emerson was riding in the jump seat at the time of the incident, stating “in general, pilots and technicians, FAA and NTSB inspectors are authorized on the flight deck jump seat.”

“As pilots list for the jump seat they are prioritized by seniority.  The captain owns the jump seat and can deny access,” the spokesperson added.

According to media accounts of the incident, the plane was diverted to Portland about 6:30 p.m. Sunday, and the approximately 80 passengers on board were able to re-book passage on a later flight.

Federal charges have not yet been filed in this matter, according to the Kevin Sonoff, Public Affairs Officer with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

The Federal Aviation Administration is currently engaged with Alaska and Horizon airlines and is supporting law enforcement investigations into Sunday evening’s incident.

Emerson’s involvement in the Pleasant Hill community reportedly involved the Pleasant Hill Baseball Association. Attempts to reach PHBA to confirm Emerson’s current status and affiliation with the organization as a coach in its baseball or softball leagues were not successful.

David Scholz

David Scholz is back in journalism as a freelance writer and photographer after nearly two decades in education. Prior to moving into teaching in 2000, he worked as a full-time journalist since 1988 for rural community and small daily newspapers in Central Ohio and Northern Nevada, and later in California with The Business Journal in Fresno and dailies in the Bay Area, including The Oakland Tribune and The San Francisco Chronicle. More recently Scholz also worked in an editing, writing, and page layout role with the Rossmoor News.