Plane crashes after 'unauthorized take-off' from SeaTac airport, officials say
A Horizon Air passenger plane crashed on an island in Puget Sound Friday night, not long after a suspect conducted an "unauthorized take-off" from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington state, officials said.
Pierce Co Sheriff
@PierceSheriff
Male is confirmed a suicidal male. Acted alone he is 29 year old Pierce county residence . We are working back ground on him now.
10:54 AM - Aug 11, 2018
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Witnesses reported seeing a large plume of smoke in the air above Ketron Island after the plane went down. No passengers were believed to be aboard the Q400 aircraft, airport officials said.
No one on the sparsely inhabited island was believed to have been injured, the Pierce County Sheriff's Department said on Twitter.
Sea-Tac Airport
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@SeaTacAirport
An airline employee conducted an unauthorized takeoff without passengers at Sea-Tac; aircraft has crashed in south Puget Sound. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed.
10:31 AM - Aug 11, 2018
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The unidentified pilot was a 29-year-old "suicidal male," the sheriff's department said. The Seattle Times reported that he was a Horizon Air employee from Sumner, Wash.
Fox26 News
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@KMPHFOX26
#BREAKING Alaska Airlines says it is aware of an incident involving an unauthorized take-off of a Horizon Air plane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. This video was taken by a woman who lives south of the airport. She says this is the plane. (Courtney Jensen Junka)
10:31 AM - Aug 11, 2018
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The drama played out in real time on the Internet as the public was able to hear the suspect communicating with air traffic controllers via the air traffic control scanner.
"I've got a lot of people that care about me. It's going to disappoint them to hear that I did this. I would like t
In another instance, the suspect joked whether the airline would hire him as a pilot if he landed the plane safely.
Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said the man "did something foolish and may well have paid with his life."
The sheriff's department said it was launching a background investigation on the suspect.
The man, who was addressed as "Rich" in audio recordings with air traffic controllers, said he didn't want to land at a nearby military base because, "Those guys will rough me up if I try and land there."
The crash of the Q400 -- described as a 76-seat aircraft designed for short trips -- occurred because the pilot was "doing stunts in air or lack of flying skills," the sheriff's department said.
Horizon is a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines.
Alaska Airlines
✔
@AlaskaAir
We've posted updated information on our blog. https://blog.alaskaair.com/alaska-airlines/horizon-air-aircraft/ …
1:02 PM - Aug 11, 2018
Information on Horizon Air Aircraft
We are aware of an incident involving an unauthorized take-off of a Horizon Air Q400. We believe there are no passengers on board. More information as we learn more.
blog.alaskaair.com
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Airport officials said that operations at the airport had resumed after being temporarily halted.
Some unconfirmed reports on social media said the suspect was believed to have been an airline mechanic. Alaska Airlines later said he was an employee who helped direct aircraft to gates and de-ice planes.
Around 9:15 p.m. PDT, Alaska Airlines tweeted: "We are aware of an incident involving an unauthorized take-off of a Horizon Air Q400. We believe there are no passengers on board. More information as we learn more."
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a message soon after the take-off:
Pierce Co Sheriff
@PierceSheriff
· 2h
Confirming sonic boom was Air Force and not explosion as originally reported.
Pierce Co Sheriff
@PierceSheriff
F 15 s were scrambled out of Portland.
11:44 AM - Aug 11, 2018
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"We can't confirm anything at this time. We're trying to get accurate information about what is actually going on. Without confirming anything, a stolen aircraft would be a security issue."
Authorities said there was no connection to terrorism.
A spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said F-15 aircraft scambled out of Portland, Ore., and were in the air “within a few minutes” in order to keep “people on the ground safe.”
According to Alaska Airlines, the aircraft was stolen about 8 p.m. Alaska Airlines said it was in a "maintenance position" and not scheduled for a passenger flight.
Air travelers and residents able to see the plane in flight were quick to post messages on social media.
“Apparently someone stole a plane from SeaTac?” wrote one Twitter user. “Saw two fighter jets fly overhead then smoke.”
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
McKenna Brown
@mckenna_brown
Apparently someone stole a plane from SeaTac? Saw two fighter jets fly overhead then smoke
9:51 AM - Aug 11, 2018
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“Some dude stole a plane from #Seatac (Allegedly), did a loop-the-loop, ALMOST crashed into #ChambersBay, then crossed in front of our party, chased by fighter jets and subsequently crashed. Weird times,” wrote another user.
bmbdgty
@drbmbdgty
Some dude stole a plane from #Seatac (Allegedly), did a loop-the-loop, ALMOST crashed into #ChambersBay, then crossed in front of our party, chased by fighter jets and subsequently crashed. Weird times.
10:05 AM - Aug 11, 2018
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Fire officials responded to the scene of the crash, which had started a few fires in the area. Video showed flames amid the trees on Ketron Island, which is accessible only by ferry. Alaska Airlines said no structures on the ground were damaged.
Multiple flights remained grounded on the SeaTac tarmac after service was halted while authorities worked to address the situation. Other flights from San Francisco, Honolulu, and Los Angeles were diverted to Portland, the website reported.
“Our hearts are with the family of the individual aboard as well as all our Alaska Air and Horizon Air employees,” Constance von Muehlen, chief operating officer of Alaska Airlines, said in a recorded video statement. “We will provide more information as it becomes available.”
YouTube @YouTube
Alaska Airlines
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@AlaskaAir
A message from Horizon Air Chief Operating Officer Constance von Muehlen: https://youtu.be/LM6zshBLSDg
11:56 AM - Aug 11, 2018
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Washington Gov. Jay Inslee lauded the authorities’ response to the situation.
“I want to thank the Air National Guard from Washington and Oregon for scrambling jets to keep Washingtonians safe. Those pilots are trained for moments like tonight and showed they are ready and capable,” the governor tweeted.
Governor Jay Inslee
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@GovInslee
· 2h
There are still a lot of unknowns surrounding tonight's tragic incident of a stolen Horizon Airline plane. The responding fighter pilots flew alongside the aircraft and were ready to do whatever was needed to protect us, but in the end the man flying the stolen plane crashed.
#BREAKING Alaska Airlines says it is aware of an incident involving an unauthorized take-off of a Horizon Air plane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. This video was taken by a woman who lives south of the airport. She says this is the plane. (Courtney Jensen Junka) pic.twitter.com/Zh3E4aGfSk
— Fox26 News (@KMPHFOX26) August 11, 2018
Governor Jay Inslee
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@GovInslee
I want to thank the Air National Guard from Washington and Oregon for scrambling jets to keep Washingtonians safe. Those pilots are trained for moments like tonight and showed they are ready and capable.
12:19 PM - Aug 11, 2018
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Near midnight Pacific time, the investigation was handed off to federal authorities. The FBI’s Seattle bureau tweeted it will work with “state, local, and federal partners to gather a complete picture of what transpired with tonight’s unauthorized Horizon aircraft takeoff and crash.”
FBI Seattle
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@FBISeattle
The FBI continues to work with our state, local, and federal partners to gather a complete picture of what transpired with tonight's unauthorized Horizon aircraft takeoff and crash. We don't anticipate that further details will be available tonight.
12:41 PM - Aug 11, 2018
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