It’s incredibly rare for the public to hear the raw audio from a Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). Usually, we only get dry transcripts. But recently, the actual voices from Horizon Air Flight 2059 were released, offering a terrifying window into a mental health crisis at 30,000 feet.

The Man on the Jump Seat

On October 22, 2023, Joseph Emerson, an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot, was “deadheading” (commuting to work) on a flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco. He was sitting in the “jump seat”—a small, foldable third seat located directly behind the captain and first officer.

For the first half of the flight, everything seemed normal. But behind the scenes, Emerson was unraveling. He would later tell investigators he hadn’t slept in 40 hours, was grieving the death of a close friend, and had ingested psychedelic mushrooms two days prior.

“I’m Not Okay”

In the released audio, you can hear the first officer’s calm, therapeutic voice trying to figure out what’s wrong.

“What’s that? What’s wrong?” the co-pilot asks. “I want to be home,” Emerson replies in a strained tone.

The co-pilot immediately sensed something was off. He loosened his harness and turned to watch the man behind him. Seconds later, the nightmare began. Emerson reached up and grabbed the two red fire handles. On a Horizon CRJ, these handles are inches from the jump seater’s face. Pulling them would have cut off the fuel supply to both engines, effectively turning the plane into a 40-ton glider.

The Struggle at the Controls

Fortunately, the handles have safety “detents”—mechanical locks that require a specific two-step process to pull. As Emerson wrestled with the handles, the co-pilot jumped into action, physically subduing him.

The audio then captures the “Startle Effect”—that split second of pure shock when a pilot realizes they are under attack. You can hear the captain’s heavy, out-of-breath voice as he declares an emergency to Air Traffic Control:

“2059, we got a jump [seater] here. Just tried to set our engines off… we need to go direct to Portland now.”

In the background, an automated computer voice repeatedly shouts: “THROTTLE. THROTTLE.” During the wrestling match, the plane had slowed down dangerously. The pilots had to break their shock, regain control of the aircraft, and navigate to an emergency landing, all while ensuring the attacker was locked out of the cockpit.

The Aftermath and the “Dream” Defense

Emerson was eventually removed from the cockpit and held down by flight attendants in the back of the plane. He later claimed he thought he was in a “dream” and was pulling the handles to “wake up.” However, aviation experts—including Captain Steve—are skeptical, noting that the fight to get him out of the cockpit should have been a “wake-up call” enough.

Despite the 83 lives he put at risk, a judge recently sentenced Emerson to time served with community service, citing his mental health crisis and lack of prior criminal history.

Why is this Audio so Rare?

Pilots’ unions and the FAA usually keep CVR audio strictly confidential. They do this to:

Protect Pilot Privacy: To prevent out-of-context clips from being used to defame crews.

Maintain Safety Focus: So investigators can focus on facts rather than public sensationalism.

Prevent “Copycats”: By not revealing exactly how cockpit systems (like the fire handle detents) work.

This specific audio was only made public because it became part of the official legal record during Emerson’s trial.