Pilot tried to cut off plane engine midair after taking mushrooms leaving him 'unable to perceive reality'

A FORMER Alaska Airlines pilot claimed he tried to shut down a plane’s engines mid-air because he was under the influence of magic mushrooms.

Joseph David Emerson has pleaded guilty to endangering more than 83 people after wreaking havoc in the cockpit of a California-bound jet in 2023.

For 90 seconds, the two pilots of Horizon Air Flight 2059 wrestled with the off-duty pilot, who was sitting in the spare cockpit seat on the jet as it flew from Everett to San Francisco on October 22, 2023.

Emerson was hauled out of the cockpit, and the plane was diverted to Portland , landing safely with 84 people on board.

Before the terrifying ordeal , he told the pilots "I am not okay", court documents revealed on Friday.

After being restrained, he warned flight attendants: "You need to