In late October, news broke that Alaska flight 2059 had to make an emergency diversion in Portland on its way to San Francisco after an off-duty pilot had tried to “disrupt the operation of the engines.”
Identified as Joseph Emerson, news later broke that he was subdued by the flight crew and taken into custody. Today he faces 83 counts of attempted murder — one for every passenger and crew member on board. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Emerson revealed a portrait of a man who made a “big mistake” in the middle of a mental health crisis.
