Attempted Engine Shutdown on Horizon Air - Portland, OR - 23 Oct 23

[PeterNSteinmetz]

Jump seater tried to activate the fire suppression system and was subdued. Crazy. Fortunately nothing really bad happened.

An off-duty pilot is accused of trying to shut down the engines of a Horizon Air jet in midflight

An off-duty pilot riding in the cockpit of a Horizon Air passenger jet tried to shut down the engines in midflight.

apnews.com

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

One of the risks of using psychedelics apparently. I know a lot of the early serious experimentation with LSD was done with an orderly nearby. I guess that's the end of his flying career.

Crazed pilot Joseph Emerson said he took magic mushrooms before trying to down flight: feds

Joseph Emerson, 44, an off-duty commercial airline pilot, went off the rails while sitting in the cockpit jump seat of a flight between Everett, Washington, and San Francisco on Sunday and later ad…

nypost.com

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

Was he trying mushrooms because going to a regular psychiatrist would cause the FAA to revoke his medical?

Off-duty pilot who tried to cut engines tried mushrooms as mental health worsened, complaint says

New court documents say an off-duty airline pilot who tried to cut the engines on a flight in mid-air told police he had recently taken psychedelic mushrooms as his mental health worsened.

apnews.com

 

[Richard_Allred]

I don't know if anyone else is interested in this video but I liked it because it went into the details of what was going through his mind when he tried to kill the engines. In my opinion he used the mushrooms instead of seeking a psychiatrist because he didn't want to loose his medical.
The pilot who intentionally crashed the Germanwings aircraft had been treated for mental health issues earlier in his life and told he would lose his medical if the mental health issue came back. Would he have sought help knowing that he would lose his license and career? I don't think so. And many lives were lost as a result when he crashed an airliner full of passengers.
I agree with what Mentour Pilot said about the system being broken and needing to be fixed, so that pilots aren't afraid to seek the help they need, because these mental health issues are real, as can be shown by this Horizon Air pilot.
I think Mentour Pilot's videos are awesome so I am sharing them for anyone who is interested.