Off-duty Alaska pilot who tried to cut flight's engines midair avoids federal prison

Off-duty Alaska pilot who tried to cut flight's engines midair avoids federal prison

Associated Press

November 17, 2025 / 12:30 pm

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 while riding off-duty in the cockpit will serve no additional prison time, a federal judge ruled Monday.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Baggio sentenced Emerson to time served and supervised release for three years a hearing in Portland, Oregon. Federal prosecutors had asked for one year in prison, while his attorneys had sought probation.

“Pilots are not perfect. They are human,” she said. “They are people and all people need help sometimes.”

Emerson was subdued by the flight crew after trying to cut the engines of a Horizon Air flight from Ev