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Crazed pilot Joseph Emerson said he took magic mushrooms before trying to down flight: feds
New York Post ^ | Oct. 24, 2023 | Marjorie Hernandez and Social Links for Marjorie Hernandez VIEW AUTHOR ARCHIVE GET AUTHOR RSS FEED

Posted on 10/24/2023 3:35:54 PM PDT by nickcarraway

The out-of-control airline pilot who tried to down an Alaskan Airlines flight midair told cops he had taken magic mushrooms before the flight, it emerged Tuesday.

Joseph Emerson, 44, an off-duty commercial airline pilot, went off the rails while sitting in the cockpit jump seat of a flight between Everett, Washington, and San Francisco on Sunday — trying to cut the fuel to the engines before he had to be held down by crew members.

Even while restrained, Emerson tried to open the emergency doors on the Alaskan flight, which was being operated by Horizon Air, as the pilots frantically guided the craft to the ground. When later interviewed by police he said he had a “nervous breakdown” after not sleeping for 40 hours and taking psychedelic mushrooms for the first time.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Society; Travel
KEYWORDS: airlinepilot; airlinesecurity; alaskaairlines; alaskanairlines; fungi; high; horizonair; josephdavidemerson; josephemerson; jumpedseat; laborunions; mushrooms; pilot; psychedelicmushrooms; shrooms
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To: Larry Lucido
He could lose his flight status over this.

He'll never work for an airline again. I wouldn't be surprised if his airman's certificate is revoked for life.

41 posted on 10/24/2023 6:51:54 PM PDT by AlaskaErik (There are three kinds of rats: Rats, Damned Rats, and DemocRats.)
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To: willk
Yeah ..maybe. Southern Airways Flight 242, not so much.

Very different scenario. They were at a much lower altitude, flying through severe thunderstorms, and were likely distracted by heavy hail damage to the aircraft, especially cockpit windows blown out by the hail. The aircraft in the present-day situation had none of those distractions, was at much higher altitude, and would also benefit from modern avionics that make it simple to quickly find the nearest airport and navigate to it. At the approximate altitude this aircraft was flying at, they would have been able to glide for over 100 miles, giving them plenty of options for a landing at an airport, as opposed to the road that Southern Airways 242 attempted to use.

I’m a sailplane pilot and am often amazed at how many airline passengers believe that engine failure will cause the aircraft to fall from the sky. It doesn’t work that way. The aerodynamic principles are exactly the same for any fixed-wing aircraft, whether a single engine Cessna, or a sailplane, or a commercial jet. The only differences are the respective glide ratios and the speed at which best L/D (lift to drag ratio) occurs. While a jet can’t come close to the glide ratio of a high performance sailplane (typically over 40:1 - 40 feet forward for every 1 foot of altitude lost), a typical commercial jet still has a glide ratio of around 17 to 1, meaning that a jet at 35,000’, for example, can glide for about 112 miles (in still air and assuming the airport is at or near sea level).

42 posted on 10/24/2023 6:55:45 PM PDT by noiseman (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.)
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To: slouper
ummmm.......No

What on Earth are you trying to say, that jets can’t glide? I assure you they can and do. Please enlighten us, professor.

43 posted on 10/24/2023 7:08:38 PM PDT by noiseman (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.)
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To: Beowulf9

Flying is great.

It’s crashing that is the problem.

I flew at least 2 sometimes 4 times a week.

Mostly good. A few flights over the years. 4-5 memorable not so good.


44 posted on 10/24/2023 7:17:23 PM PDT by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: willk
As soon as I saw that this flight originated out of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, I wondered if any entertainers had been in it, and sure enough there was.
Among the passengers killed was rhythm and blues singer Annette Snell.

45 posted on 10/24/2023 7:36:05 PM PDT by higgmeister (In the Shadow of The Big Chicken! )
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To: higgmeister

Yes I know it was very funny.


46 posted on 10/25/2023 1:26:13 PM PDT by caddie (We must all become Trump, starting now!)
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