An off-duty pilot, Joseph David Emerson, has been indicted by a grand jury on 84 charges in connection with a mid-flight incident on an Alaska Airlines plane. The grand jury, however, did not pursue charges of attempted murder against Emerson.

The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office stated that Emerson is facing one count of endangering aircraft in the first degree and 83 counts of recklessly endangering another person for the incident that occurred on October 22. He is currently being held at the Multnomah County Detention Center in Portland, Oregon, and is set to be arraigned on Thursday.

Initially, Emerson was charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after allegedly attempting to shut off the plane's engines by pulling the fire extinguisher handles. However, he pleaded not guilty to these charges in October.

According to his attorneys, Emerson suffered a panic attack while on the flight and was in a dream-like state during the incident. They also mentioned that he had consumed a small amount of psilocybin, a substance found in mushrooms, two days prior to the flight.

In response to the grand jury indictment, Emerson's attorneys argued that the attempted murder charges were never suitable in this case since he had no intention of harming anyone. They stated that his actions were solely driven by a desire to return home to his family.

Expressing disappointment in the indictment, Emerson's defense team plans to present a comprehensive defense at trial, emphasizing the circumstances and facts surrounding the incident. They expect to finalize a release plan, allowing Emerson to reunite with his family by the end of the week.

During the incident, Emerson was seated in the flight deck jump seat, located in the cockpit, according to Alaska Airlines. The flight, originally en route from Everett, Washington to San Francisco, was diverted to Portland, Oregon. Emerson was originally scheduled to be part of a flight crew on a 737 departing from San Francisco.

A criminal complaint filed in October revealed that Emerson engaged in casual conversation with the pilots before allegedly attempting to pull two red fire handles. Activating these handles would have triggered the plane's emergency fire suppression system and cut off fuel to the engines. However, due to the pilots' intervention, Emerson was unable to fully activate the engine shutoff.

The complaint stated that Emerson expressed being "not OK" and tried to grab the handles. However, after a struggle with the pilots, it took approximately 90 seconds for him to exit the cockpit. Flight attendants restrained Emerson and placed him at the back of the plane until it landed.

Emerson was taken into custody in Portland, where he informed officers that he believed he was having a "nervous breakdown," according to the complaint.

As the legal proceedings continue, the aviation industry will closely monitor the outcome of the trial, highlighting the importance of maintaining safety and addressing mental health concerns among pilots.

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