From the Cockpit to the Counselor's Couch: The Tale of a Pilot’s 30-Second Mid-Air Meltdown
Joseph Emerson, a former Alaska Airlines pilot, found himself in a high-altitude horror story last October when he mistook the cockpit for an escape room. At 30,000 feet, Emerson tried to pull the plug on both engines—literally—by yanking the emergency shut-off levers. But instead of waking up from what he thought was a bad dream, he was rudely awakened by the pilots who pried his hands off the controls faster than you can say “Mayday!”
Now, 10 months later, Emerson is taking stock of his epic blunder, calling it "the biggest mistake of his life," though it did land him some unexpected perks. His marriage is stronger, he's got more time with the kids, and he’s launched a non-profit to help pilots struggling with mental health. Talk about turning turbulence into triumph.
But it wasn't all smooth sailing—or flying—after the incident. Emerson, still under the spell of psychedelic mushrooms from a weekend of grieving a lost friend, went from cloud nine to clouded judgment, leading to what he describes as the worst 30 seconds of his life. His wife, Sarah, was just as shocked, learning only later that her husband had been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder—one for every soul on board.
Now Emerson is on a mission, not just to clear the skies, but to clear the air about pilot mental health, hoping that others can avoid the rocky flight path he took. As for whether he’ll ever take to the skies again, that’s still up in the air, but one thing’s for sure—if he does, he’ll definitely be staying far away from any red levers.