Passenger sues Alaska Airlines for attempted hijacking

Three passengers sued Alaska Airlines on Thursday in King County Superior Court, Washington, claiming the airline caused them emotional trauma by allowing an off-duty pilot with mental illness to board a plane and attempt to hijack it.

The lawsuit alleges that Alaska Airlines should never have allowed Joseph David Emerson, 44, to board the plane on March 22, 2023, because he had been suffering from mental illness for several weeks.

Emerson was a passenger on a Horizon Air flight from Seattle to San Francisco. He admitted to the pilot that he wanted to kill himself and tried to grab a red torch.

Emerson struggled with the pilot and was eventually zip-tied and taken to the back of the plane. He also admitted to police that he wanted to kill everyone.

The lawsuit alleges that Alaska Airlines failed to properly review Emerson’s mental health condition and that the airline’s pilot system and mental health screening were deficient.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages from the defendants, including the cost of airfare, the cost of evaluation and/or treatment of his health condition, compensation for psychological harm and for the inconvenience the defendants caused the plaintiffs.