‘Lie to Fly’
Producer/Director Carmen García Durazo
Co-Producer Leah Harari
Producer/Reporter Mike Baker
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Minutes before boarding an Alaska Airlines flight home in 2023, Joseph Emerson, a pilot, sent a text to his wife, eager to reunite with their two young children and longing to be by her side.
The flight was full, and Emerson, who was off duty, took the cockpit jump seat. What should have been a routine trip quickly turned dramatic and dangerous. During the two-hour journey from Everett, Wash., to San Francisco, Emerson reached up and pulled the plane’s two fire-suppression handles, designed to cut the fuel supply and shut down both engines. Two days earlier, Emerson had consumed psychedelic mushrooms. He had long harbored fears that seeking mental health treatment could jeopardize his career.
With 83 other passengers and crew members on board, he was initially arrested on charges of attempted murder for each of them. Now, he’s charged with one count of endangering an aircraft and 83 counts of recklessly endangering another person.
“Lie to Fly” explores the story of Emerson, and the reasons he and many other pilots fear seeking mental health treatment. The film follows a growing movement calling for reform of the Federal Aviation Administration’s strict rules around pilot mental health, which some insiders say leaves the public at risk. “Lie to Fly” also documents the consequences that Emerson faces both personally and professionally since his shocking actions in the jump seat.
Supervising Producer Liz Hodes
Director Of Photography Jaron Berman
Video Editor Geoff O’Brien
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