Off-duty pilot who tried to cut engines took mushrooms for 1st time before flight, complaint says

An off-duty pilot who allegedly tried to shut down the engines on a Horizon Air flight told police he was suffering from depression, had not slept in 40 hours and had taken psychedelic mushrooms for the first time before the flight, according to court documents.

State prosecutors in Oregon filed 83 counts of attempted murder against Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph David Emerson, 44, on Tuesday just before he appeared in court, with his attorney, Noah Horst, entering not guilty pleas on his behalf. Federal prosecutors meanwhile charged Emerson with interfering with a flight crew, which can carry up to 20 years in prison.

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