Horror in the cockpit Ex-pilot wanted to crash plane - and gets off lightly
During a domestic flight in the USA, a pilot traveling on the flight wanted to switch off the engines. The crew just managed to stop him. He gets off with a lenient sentence in court.
17.11.2025, 22:39
17.11.2025, 23:12
dpa
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- A pilot who was allowed to travel in the cockpit off duty tried to switch off the aircraft's engines in 2023.
- The crew was able to overpower him.
- The former Alaska Airlines pilot is now on trial.
A former pilot of the US airline Alaska Airlines has been sentenced to prison and probation following a dramatic incident in the cockpit of a passenger plane. However, Judge Amy Baggio sentenced the convicted man on Monday so that he will be released due to the time served on remand. He will also receive three years' probation.
The man is accused of attempting to shut down the engines on a flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on October 2, 2023, while traveling off-duty in an extra seat in the cockpit. The crew overpowered him. The plane with more than 80 people on board was diverted to Portland, where it landed safely.
As part of plea agreements with state and federal prosecutors, the ex-pilot has either pleaded guilty or no contest to all charges, which amounts to an admission of guilt. Defense attorney Noah Horst said in September that his client wanted to take responsibility for his actions and avoid additional time behind bars.
Public prosecutor's office acknowledges the crew's commitment
In the federal trial, the public prosecutor's office demanded a year in prison, while the defendant's lawyers argued for a suspended sentence. In their statement, the prosecutors wrote that it was solely due to the intervention of the crew that there were no fatalities that day.
However, a pre-sentence report by federal probation officers recommended a prison sentence equivalent to the pre-trial detention already served, followed by three years probation and six months house arrest, according to a motion filed by the ex-pilot's attorneys.
Judge Baggio largely followed the recommendation. "Pilots are not perfect. They're human," she said, "and all humans need help sometimes."
In the state-level trial in September, he was sentenced to 50 days in jail with credit for time already served, as well as five years probation, 664 hours of community service and a restitution payment of more than $60,000, almost all of which is to go to Alaska Airlines.
Stroke of fate and hallucinogenic mushrooms
After his arrest, the accused told the police that he had been distraught after the death of a friend, had consumed hallucinogenic mushrooms two days before the incident and had not slept for more than 40 hours. He believed he was dreaming and tried to wake himself up by reaching for two red levers which, when pressed, activated the aircraft's fire extinguishing system and cut off the fuel supply to the engines.
At a state trial hearing in September, he said he was grateful to the flight crew for stopping him and saving his own life and those of the other passengers. This was the greatest gift he had ever been given, even though the incident had cost him his career and landed him in prison.
However, it also forced him to deal with his mental health problems and his alcohol consumption. "This difficult journey has made me a better father, a better husband, a better member of my community," the defendant said. According to the airline, none of the crew members observed any signs of impairment that would have resulted in him being denied access to the cockpit.
