OR - Alaska Airlines flight diverted after off-duty pilot tries "to shut the engines down" in cockpit, audio reveals

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  • #121

Psilocybin - Alcohol and Drug Foundation

Psilocybin or magic mushrooms are naturally occurring and are consumed for their hallucinogenic effects. They belong to a group of drugs known as psychedelics, because of the changes experienced to perception, mood and thought.
adf.org.au adf.org.au

What are magic mushrooms?​

Psilocybin or magic mushrooms are naturally occurring and are consumed for their hallucinogenic effects.

They are psychedelic drugs, which means they can affect all the senses, altering a person’s thinking, sense of time and emotions. Psychedelics can cause a person to hallucinate, seeing or hearing things that do not exist or are distorted.1

The key ingredient in magic mushrooms is psilocybin. When psilocybin is taken, it’s converted in the body to psilocin, which is the chemical with the psychoactive properties.

[..]

There is no safe level of drug use. Use of any drug always carries some risk. It’s important to be careful when taking any type of drug.

Magic mushrooms can affect everyone differently, based on:

  • size, weight and health
  • whether the person is used to taking it
  • whether other drugs are taken around the same time
  • the amount taken
  • the strength of the mushroom (varies depending on the type of mushroom)
  • the environment (where the drug is taken)
The effects of magic mushrooms usually begin in 30 minutes when eaten, or within 5–10 minutes when taken as a soup or tea and can last approximately four to six hours.

During this time, the person may experience:

  • euphoria and wellbeing
  • change in consciousness, mood, thought and perception (commonly called a trip)
  • dilation of pupils
  • perceptual changes, such as visual and auditory hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t there, or are distorted)
  • stomach discomfort and nausea
  • headaches
  • fast or irregular heartbeat
  • increased body temperature
  • breathing quickly
  • vomiting
  • facial flushes, sweating and chills.1,3

[..]​

Bad trips​

Sometimes a person may experience the negative effects of magic mushrooms and have a ‘bad trip’.

A bad trip might include:

  • unpleasant or intense hallucinations
  • anxiety
  • paranoia
  • panic or fear.

Coming down​

After taking magic mushrooms, delayed headaches can happen. These usually don’t last longer than a day.

A person who has taken mushrooms may experience feelings of:

  • exhaustion
  • depression
  • anxiety.
Some people who regularly use magic mushrooms may experience flashbacks involving a previous magic mushroom experience. They are usually visual distortions that involve changes in your emotions or perception.

Flashbacks can happen weeks, months or even years after the drug was last taken. This can be disturbing, especially if a frightening experience or hallucination is recalled. Flashbacks can be brought on by using other drugs, stress, tiredness or exercise and usually last a minute or two.
 
  • #122
LadyL said:
such as? I'm really not sure what you're getting at
not sleeping, mushrooms, and a possible underlying mental illness are plenty of cause IMO
I don't know when he worked last - are you implying that has something to do with his breakdown?
Click to expand...

What I read them as saying is: Why was the pilot seemingly in Seattle for over 48 hours when he didn't live there? (And had a family and kids in CA.) ie - What are the chances he was in Seattle for work because he had flown a plane less than 48 hours before this incident? ie - How long was it between the supposed taking of shrooms - 48 hours prior to the incident - and the last time he flew a plane? ie - Did he fly a plane in the window of time between when he claims he took shrooms, two days prior, and this incident? ie - Had he flown a plane in this supposedly 48 hour long altered state?/Flown a plane while still high?

(Not trying to be sarcastic in how I wrote the above, to be clear. I'm neurodivergent, so I wrote out how my brain processed what Marysmith wrote.)
 
  • #123

Pilot pleads not guilty to 83 attempted murder charges | FOX 13 Seattle​

 
  • #124
There is a huge variation in the strength of various psyillicibin mushrooms on the market. I grew up in Berkeley in the 70's. I admit to being quite the expert in tripping back in the day. And helped many friends try out the adventure as well.

I can say from experience that you can divide up the same mushrooms between several people, giving them similar doses.
[allowing for differences in weight and experience with hallucigenics]

And some people barely feel the 'experience, some really enjoy the high and describe it as amazing, but sometimes people have terrifying experiences, which often continue for days. And may even end up with flashback affects.

I have no trouble believing he could have had after affects 48 hours after being dosed. Especially if he had some weird thoughts or feelings lurking in the first place.

We used to take shrooms up in the campground, by the creek, in small groups. Most people really enjoyed playing in the water, sitting in the grass, watching nature, laughing, talking. Or sitting quietly and pondering...Occasionally someone would have the opposite experience, and see ugliness and horror all around, instead of beauty.

One friend had a total freak out and decided they were paralysed. Scared us all to death. We hiked back to bring help to the camp ground but by then they were asleep and seemed fine.
 
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  • #125

​

Ex-pilot's magic mushrooms ruin potential insanity defense, legal analyst says​

 
  • #126

Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot told police he hadn't slept in 40 hours​


10/24/23

1698215540537.png

Emerson graduation from Cheney HS in 1997
 
  • #127
www.grandforksherald.com

Pilot charged with trying to crash plane appears to have ties to UND

The university in recent years has recognized the importance of mental health care for pilots, and convened a conference on the issue in 2021 after a student pilot died by suicide in a UND plane.
www.grandforksherald.com www.grandforksherald.com

10/23/23

From July to December 2020, Emerson used social media to share concerns about the aviation industry, which was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The future of air travel remains highly depressed,” he wrote in December 2020. “Immediate relief for the airline industry is critical.”

He tagged multiple political figures in the post, asking them to support the economic rebuilding of the airline industry.

“Don’t let our voices go unheard!” he wrote.

Sunday’s Alaska Airlines incident happened just days after the two-year anniversary of a UND aviation student’s plane crash death near Buxton, North Dakota. A final report from the National Transportation Safety Board later confirmed what loved ones already suspected about the crash: it was intentional. John Hauser, 19, died by suicide.

In the wake of Hauser’s death, UND arranged an Aviation Mental Health Summit, held in Chicago. As reported at the time by the Herald, UND administrators met with representatives from several other colleges with flight training programs, members of the FAA and the Airline Pilots Association. UND aerospace students, faculty and administrators participated online from the Memorial Union’s ballroom.

“Countering myths with factual evidence should help reduce the stigma of seeking help,” UND Dean of Aerospace Robert Kraus said after the event, as quoted by the website UND Today. “And providing a confidential and trusted network of peers, mentors, or professional counselors will get people the help they need when they need it. The hope is that we can instill a culture of talking early and talking often.”

At the event, according to UND Today, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said: “For many years, being honest about mental health has been one of those risky areas. But I’m here to tell you that it’s a perceived risk, and we’re doing our best at the FAA to make that very clear. … The important thing to stress to our pilots is to please ask for help.”
 
  • #128
BeginnerSleuther said:
Most people with mental health issues will not be suicidal or psychotic or manic, nor will they be a danger to the people they're flying or caring for. IMO, it's not those with treated mental health issues we should fear. It's those with untreated/undisclosed mental health issues. Why we would want to perpetuate the latter is beyond me.
Click to expand...

I don't know how it is today, but in the recent past pilots were on fairly grueling schedules. I recall a crash in the Buffalo, NY area where it was determined the pilots were exhausted, didn't have enough sleep in the previous days.

en.wikipedia.org

Colgan Air Flight 3407 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

To get the maximum number of flights out of each pilot, commercial airlines these days push the limits of what's physically allowed. Multiply that by days and years and it can take a toll on pilots.
 
  • #129
Lore Listener said:
Yeah, the language in the AA doesn't make the bolded any clearer.

The AA states: "EMERSON denied taking any medication, but he stated that approximately six months ago he became depressed. The officer and EMERSON talked about the use of psychedelic mushrooms and EMERSON said it was his first-time taking mushrooms."

"It was his first time" when? Five minutes before the flight? Six months ago when he became depressed? It kinda matters in this situation.
Click to expand...
It matters a lot and is still under investigation. I look forward to hearing more about this horrible crime. Hope more is learnt. moo
 
  • #130
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  • #133
Betty P said:
I don't know how it is today, but in the recent past pilots were on fairly grueling schedules. I recall a crash in the Buffalo, NY area where it was determined the pilots were exhausted, didn't have enough sleep in the previous days.

en.wikipedia.org

Colgan Air Flight 3407 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

To get the maximum number of flights out of each pilot, commercial airlines these days push the limits of what's physically allowed. Multiply that by days and years and it can take a toll on pilots.
Click to expand...
This now ex-pilot, JE, certainly did no favors for himself or for his fellow pilots by taking mushrooms (if that is true).

Sadly, the public focus will be on miscreant pilot behavior, rather than on the plight of the vast majority of good pilots who are stressed and overworked by grueling schedules.

jmo
 
  • #134
Initial articles had reported this and its in the criminal complaint.

Paragraph #8 of the criminal complaint:

8. Responding officers interviewed several flight attendants. During the flight, the flight attendants received a call from the cockpit that EMERSON was “losing it” and he needed to get out of the cockpit. EMERSON was observed peacefully walking to the back of the aircraft. EMERSON told one flight attendant that he “just got kicked out of the flight deck.” EMERSON said to the flight attendant, “You need to cuff me right now or it’s going to be bad.” The flight attendants sat EMERSON in a flight attendant seat in the back of the aircraft and placed cuffs on EMERSON’s wrists. During the flight’s decent, EMERSON turned towards an emergency exit door and tried to grab the handle. A flight attendant stopped EMERSON by placing her hands on top of EMERSON’s hands. The flight attendant engaged EMERSON in conversation in an attempt to distract him from trying to grab the emergency exit handle again. Another flight attendant observed EMERSON make statements such as, “I messed everything up” and that “he tried to kill everybody.” 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.

Read the full affidavit below:
 
  • #135

How do airlines screen for pilots' mental health?​

All pilots have to be medically cleared to fly, Pruchnicki said. Commercial pilots need to take what's known as a first class medical certification, which Pruchnicki said is the certification's "highest level." The exams are conducted by aviation medical examiners, according to the FAA.

As part of the certification process, pilots must disclose any health conditions they have. Some conditions, such as sleep apnea and depression, might "require extra documentation" from primary care providers or physicians before the certification is completed, Pruchnicki said.

Pruchnicki said that as far as mental health goes, pilots who "take certain types of antidepressant drugs" can still be cleared, depending on the side effects of the medication. There are other steps in the process, Pruchnicki said, to "show that you're safe to fly." According to the Code of Federal Regulations, potential pilots cannot have conditions like a "severe" personality disorder, psychosis, bipolar disorder, dependence on substances or history of substance abuse within the past two years.

A potential complication lies in the fact that pilots must self-disclose the information, though the FAA notes on its website that aviation medical examiners can "request additional psychological testing" if they believe it to be necessary. If the FAA "receives information from another source that a pilot may have a mental health condition," the agency can direct the pilot to provide specific documentation or undergo an evaluation.

More at link...

 
  • #136
gitana1 said:
True. But most people with mental health issues aren’t coping with a job where the stakes are that high and the pressure is that intense. Because that kind of job will exacerbate any issues.

Take the Navy Seals. Most don’t pass the rigorous training and that’s by design. Because someone has to be exceedingly stable to be able to do the job successfully.

I believe the same is true for pilots when it comes to having passengers.

But the bottom line is it is their duty to seek treatment even if that means they will lose their jobs. Because they should not be working the job anymore. Get disability and move on to something else. Like teaching flight school.
Click to expand...

This is true for a number of industries, but the studies show that requiring mental health disclosures when your job is on the line, it prevents mental health treatment.
 
  • #137
www.seattletimes.com

Off-duty pilot may have taken mushrooms before flight he’s accused of disrupting

Law enforcement statements released Tuesday and passenger accounts provide new insight into the chaotic, fraught scene above northwestern Oregon.
www.seattletimes.com www.seattletimes.com

10/24/23

An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot accused of attempting to shut off a plane’s engines during a Horizon Air flight out of Everett had long been struggling with mental health issues and took psychedelic mushrooms about two days before the incident, investigators said in charging papers.

[..]

In statements to the Horizon flight crew and to police, Emerson described himself as suffering from depression and insomnia, claiming he believed he was dreaming when he attempted to disable the plane, an FBI special agent investigating the matter said in an affidavit. Emerson, the FBI agent continued, told police “it was his first time taking mushrooms.”

The last time Emerson was on duty was Thursday, according to Alaska Airlines. Police contend he admitted to taking mushrooms Friday. Emerson, a California resident with ties to Seattle, has been a commercial airline pilot since 2001 and has flown with Alaska since 2016.

[..]

Emerson told Port of Portland police and a flight attendant that his best friend had recently died and asked the flight attendant when “this nightmare would end,” according to charging papers filed by the Multnomah County prosecutors. A police officer said Emerson did not “outwardly” seem intoxicated.
 
  • #138

"American pilots sound the alarm on mental health ​

after off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph Emerson tries to shut down plane's engines 'while high on magic mushrooms'.​


  • The incident has brought to the fore issues around mental health and the stigma of reporting problems
  • Pilots struggle with fear that if they report issues, they will 'lose their wings'
  • Staffing issues exacerbate problems with longer hours and more stressful shifts"

www.dailymail.co.uk

Pilots sound alarm on mental health after pilot 'magic mushroom' scare

Pilots have raised the alarm over their mental health as staffing issues and stigma around seeking help drive 'near misses'. It comes after a shocking incident onboard a flight on Sunday.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk
 
  • #139
The most commonly reported negative side effect of taking magic mushrooms is having a bad trip. This might involve unpleasant physical symptoms such as nausea, chills, vomiting, or headaches. The user might also experience negative psychological effects such as paranoia, anxiety, or even extreme terror.

"Psychological distress is the most common adverse effect reported after use of psilocybin. This can range from a 'bad trip' to disturbing hallucinations that can last for days," Dr. Lawrence Weinstein, chief medical officer of American Addiction Centers, told INSIDER.

[…]
There's a common misconception that taking magic mushrooms carries no risk of overdose. However, that's actually not the case.

"Overdosing on mushrooms is entirely possible, but it is rare. Some signs of mushroom overdose include panic attacks, paranoia, psychosis, vomiting, agitation, and seizures," said Dr. Weinstein.

"Effects of taking 'too many mushrooms' lasts between six and eight hours, but some of the effects can take days to subside," added Dr. Weinstein.

^BBM
www.insider.com

10 potential risks of taking 'magic' mushrooms

INSIDER consulted with two drug and addiction experts to learn more about the risks of taking magic mushrooms recreationally.
www.insider.com www.insider.com
 
  • #140
LadyL said:
it was mentioned that he took mushrooms 48 hours before the flight:

Pleasant Hill pilot charged with attempted murder used mushrooms, admitted to nervous breakdown

In court documents also filed Tuesday by the Multnomah County District Attorney in Oregon, Emerson clarified that he had also taken psychedelic mushrooms for the first time 48 hours before boarding the plane. The effects of mushrooms wear off in roughly 24 hours, experts say.
Click to expand...
Thank you for this! The AA (I suppose I should clarify "arrest affidavit" for this thread, since Alaska Airlines has the same acronym) left me with more confusion than clarity.

I'm sure other posters have already said this, but while it seems to be very unusual that psilocybin would last anywhere near 48 hours, I cannot imagine how any responsible pilot would think taking a hallucinogenic substance 48 hours before a flight is a safe or reasonable thing to do. And again, while Seattle may have decriminalized growing and consuming mushrooms, they did not legalize this substance, nor is it decriminalized or legalized at the state or federal levels. Whether true or not, I suspect right now that this is going to be his excuse for doing a terrible thing. Much like a man here in Denver blamed murdering his wife on cannabis gummies or celebrities and politicians used to announce they were going to rehab for alcohol immediately upon evidence surfacing that they sexually harassed subordinates.

Does substance use alter consciousness and affect behavior? Of course. Does it excuse violence? Absolutely not. You drink and drive, you're responsible. You take hallucinogens and get in the cockpit of a plane, you're responsible.

I remain very concerned about the "awake for 40 hours" thing. That doesn't appear to be a side effect of psilocybin and sounds more to me like a severe manic episode or some kind of legal or illegal speed. Lack of sleep has profound effects on behavior.
 
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