Summary A mental health crisis caused a former pilot to attempt to cut off a plane engine mid-flight. Airlines and regulatory bodies focusing on pilot mental health, encouraging destigmatization of seeking help. Incidents like this prompt the need for better mental health support and quick, efficient return-to-work processes.
A former Alaska Airlines pilot accused of recklessly endangering other passengers after attempting to cut off the engine of a San Francisco-bound regional flight is speaking up about the experience and importance of mental health for pilots. How did this happen? Last October, an off-duty pilot flying in the cockpit of an Alaska Airlines flight attempted to stop the aircraft engines mid-flight, resulting in a diversion and subsequent lawsuit. Speaking to Gio Benitez on Good Morning America this morning, Joseph David Emerson talks about what was going through his head that fateful day.
The regional flight AS2059 from Paine Field International Airport (PAE) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) was operated by the group's subsidiary, Horizon Air, on an Embraer 175 aircraft. Emerson, who was returning from a weekend celebrating the life of his close friend Scott, was riding in the jump seat behind the pilots in the cockpit but not actively involved in flying the plane. According to Emerson, he became overtaken by a fear that he would never make it back to see his wife and children and started to feel trapped in the cockpit of the jet.
This anxiety wa.