Alaska Airlines Pilot's Alleged Engine Shutdown Attempt: A Dream or Drug-Induced Delusion?

An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot, Joseph David Emerson, has been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after allegedly attempting to cut the engines midflight on a Horizon Air-operated flight. Emerson told police that he had been struggling with depression, had recently taken psychedelic mushrooms, and had not slept in over 40 hours. He claimed to have thought he was dreaming and just wanted to wake up. Alaska Airlines stated that there were no signs of impairment before the flight, and Emerson's attorney entered not guilty pleas on his behalf.