Joseph Emerson , the former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to shut down a commercial plane's engines midflight in 2023 while traveling off duty in the cockpit's jump seat, was sentenced Monday in federal court to time served and three years of supervised release.

Emerson, of Pleasant Hill, California, had pleaded guilty to the single charge of interfering with a flight crew in a September plea deal.

Without the deal, Emerson had faced a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Instead, prosecutors recommended a year behind bars followed by three years of supervised release. Emerson asked for time served and probation.

Emerson told CBS News earlier this year he felt a sense of "all-out panic and fear" in the cockpit. He said he had been grieving the death of his best

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