44-year-old Joseph Emerson, the (former) Alaska Airlines pilot who nearly killed 83 people after a mushroom-induced hallucination onboard Alaska flight 2059, is arguing for leniency ahead of his criminal trial.
Magic Mushroom Pilot At Alaska Airlines: “I Accept Responsibility For The Choices That I Made”
Emerson no longer faces attempted murder charges, but faces one felony charge of endangering an aircraft and 83 misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment. As his trial approaches, he and his wife made a joint appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America to reflect on what happened:
“At the end of the day, I accept responsibility for the choices that I made.”
“What I hope is that the entirety of not just 30 seconds of the event, but the entirety of my experience is accounted for as society judges me.”
FIRST ON @GMA: Former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to shut down engines in-flight shares his story.
“It’s 30 seconds of my life that I wish I could change, and I can’t.”@GioBenitez pic.twitter.com/mlGSYe6RpI
— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 23, 2024
I find that fair. I find his interview and his post-incident contrition helpful in establishing that this was an unexpected event and outside any norm for side effects from mushroom use. It matters that after the incident he (himself) asked to be handcuffed and restrained for the remainder of AS2059.
However, I believe Emerson has forfeited his right to be a commercial airline pilot. While I look no less upon him as a man or a fellow human, there should be no second chances for these sorts of incidents. After all, he chose to ingest the controlled substance and even if the chance of harmful side effects was exponentially low (especially two days later), it was still a risk he assumed when he took the drug.
And let’s face it, sometimes our lives are judged…unfairly or not…by 30 seconds. Some decisions are that fateful. This was one such decision. There is no way to undo it.
Emerson has gone through a lot and still faces a tough road ahead. I do not see a point in putting him in jail for what he did…I think permanently clipping his commercial pilot’s license is punishment enough. Finding a new career at age 44 will be no easy task.
I’m glad that he is not simply trying to make excuses for what he did. Kudos to him for accepting responsibility for the choices he made.
> Read More: Alaska Airlines Pilot Charged With 83 Counts Of Attempted Murder After Malicious Act In Cockpit
> Read More: Who Is Joseph David Emerson, Alaska Airlines Pilot Accused Of Attempted Murder?
image: Joseph Emerson/ Facebook