(CNN) The Horizon Air plane stolen from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is a Q400 Bombardier turboprop.
The plane's typical cruise speed is 414 mph (667 kilometers per hour) and its maximum cruising altitude is 25,000 feet (7,620 meters). Its wingspan is 93 feet, 3 inches (28.4 meters).
Horizon Air, based at the Seattle-Tacoma airport, is owned by Seattle-based Alaska Air Group, which includes Alaska Airlines.
Both airlines serve as sister carriers and maintain connections and code-shares.
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US investigators are scrambling to understand how a young mechanic was able to steal an empty passenger plane from Seattle’s main airport, fly for more than an hour doing tricks and then crash into a forest, killing himself.
The FBI, National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration were all attempting to work out how the 29-year-old ground service agent for the airline Horizon Air was able to carry out the incident.
The 76-seat plane had taken off from Seattle-Tacoma Airport, in the northwestern US state of Washington, on Friday night and was soon accompanied by two F-15 fighter jets which were scrambled into the air.
Attempts were made over radio transmissions to the convince the pilot, who has not been formally named but was identified as Rich or Richard, to land. However he ultimately crashed into Ketron Island, a sparsely-populated area of the state.
Recordings of the conversation between the man and control tower officials captured him sounding excitable, at one point saying he had “a few screws loose” and apologising to his relatives.
A suicidal man has stolen and crashed a Seattle plane. Watch to find out more about the incident.
A 29-year-old suicidal man stole a Horizon Air Q400 plane from Seattle’s international airport for a short, dramatic flight before crashing on a nearby island.
The local Pierce County Sheriff, Paul Pastor, confirmed via Twitter that the man — believed to be an employee of Horizon Airlines — was acting alone when he made the unauthorised flight and was chased by F15 fighter planes. Local officials said the jets “were not involved in the crash”.
Caught on video, the chase ended when the turboprop 76-seater aircraft crashed on Ketron island, around 50km southwest of Seattle.
The stolen aircraft belonged to Alaska Airlines’ sister carrier, Horizon.
Video taken by a bystander showed the passenger airplane making an unlikely upside-down aerial loop, then flying low over Puget Sound before crashing into the sparsely populated Ketron Island in the northwestern US state of Washington.
The crash sparked a fire in the dense forest. Flames lit up the night as they spread from the burning wreckage to nearby trees.
The ABC reported air traffic control was in radio contact with the pilot right throughout the emergency.
Some of the audio was aired on the news bulletin.
“I got a lot of people that care about me and it’s going to disappoint them to hear that I did this. I’m just a broken guy. Got a few screws loose...”
WARNING: Coarse language in video below. Disturbing footage.
WATCH: Video shows Stolen Horizon Airlines Q400 do loop in air and fly low to ground and water before crashing **VIDEO WARNING*** EXPLICIT LANGUAGE!
FULL STORY: https://t.co/lttJfIjmIC
(Video: Skylar Jacboson) pic.twitter.com/0UL7Dkk42V — KOMO News (@komonews) August 11, 2018
An airline employee “conducted an unauthorised takeoff” of an airplane carrying no passengers, then “crashed in south Puget Sound,” Sea-Tac Airport officials said on Twitter.
The stolen plane was a twin engine turboprop Q400 airplane belonging to its sister carrier Horizon Air, Alaska Airlines said on Twitter. It normally carries 76 passengers.
“This is not a terrorist incident,” Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff’s office wrote on Twitter.
“Confirmed info... this is a single suicide male. We know who he is. No others involved,” Troyer wrote The suspect was identified as a 29-year-old airline mechanic and Pierce county resident who “acted alone,” Troyer added, confirming that there were “no passengers on the plane” when it crashed.
The sheriff’s office also said that the F-15s, which were scrambled out of Portland, in the nearby state of Oregon, arrived minutes after the plane was stolen and kept the aircraft “out of harms way and people on ground safe.” Horizon Air CEO Constance Van Muehlen issued a video statement describing the incident.
“We believe it (the plane) was taken by a single Horizon Air employee and no other passengers or crew were on board,” she said. “Our hearts are with the family of the individual aboard as well as all of our Alaska Air and Horizon Air employees.”
John Waldron, who took dramatic video of the stolen plane flying in a loop, told CNN that he was out for an evening stroll when he saw the two jet fighters following the turboprop airplane.
His first thought was that they were practicing for an air show. “So, I started to capture video, just because I thought it was, kind of bizarre,” he told CNN.
Waldron said it seemed that the jets were chasing down the airplane. “I thought this is really odd. Kept the video rolling.” Then the passenger plane pilot “did a complete loop ... I couldn’t believe he recovered.” He estimates that the plane at its lowest point “was no less than 100 feet (30.5 meters) above the water.” Then the pilot “pulled -- pretty much straight up. And kind of at an angle. And almost stalled the aircraft. Somehow he got it leveled back off. And then made his way down toward the island.” Waldron said that he was prepared to “run and take cover.” He briefly turned away, then turned back and saw the explosion as the plane crashed.
“Saw a bright, pinpoint area of flame. And the smoke. I thought, oh, my god. I think he just crashed.”
One report said the man joked with traffic controllers during the short flight as F15s chased him that he was going to jail.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter the crash may have been caused by the mechanic “doing stunts in air or lack of flying skills.”
It said the F15 fighter planes “made it within a few minutes of theft of plane. Pilots kept plane out of harms way and people on ground safe.”
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. — Sea-Tac Airport (@SeaTacAirport) August 11, 2018
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. pic.twitter.com/Ra4LcIhwfU — bmbdgty (@drbmbdgty) August 11, 2018
We've confirmed a Horizon Air Q400 that had an unauthorized takeoff from SeaTac around 8pm has gone down near Ketron Island in Pierce County, WA. We're working to confirm who was on board, we believe there were no guests or crew on board other than the person operating the plane. — Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) August 11, 2018
Alaska Airlines confirmed the crash tweeting, “We’ve confirmed a Horizon Air Q400 that had an unauthorised takeoff from SeaTac around 8pm has gone down near Ketron Island in Pierce County, WA.
“We’re working to confirm who was on board, we believe there were no guests or crew on board other than the person operating the plane.”
After the stolen Air Q400 took off without authorisation from Seattle’s SeaTac airport it went into lock down with all flights halted.
However Sea-Tac Airport has now confirmed that normal operations have resumed.
Aircraft circling #Q400 crash site on Ketron Island (bottom center), shown in relation to Sea-Tac Airport (top right). https://t.co/KP0FxohCkh pic.twitter.com/VxvfXTHkTO — Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) August 11, 2018
Airways magazine Aviation Beat correspondent Benjamin Bearup tweeted alleged air traffic control audio of the rogue pilot talking with traffic controllers.
In the audio a man can be heard saying, “I think I am going to try to do a barrel roll and if that goes good then I am going to go nose down and call it a night.”
Locals tweeted after seeing the plane flying up, then being chased by the jets and ending in the fiery crash.
One person tweeted: “We saw it flying over the magnolia area around 8:10 ish and thought it was really odd since it was flying low and doing weird turns, how crazy!!”
Male is confirmed a suicidal male. Acted alone he is 29 year old Pierce county residence . We are working back ground on him now. — Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) August 11, 2018
ATC Audio from the stolen Horizon Air Q400: “I think I am going to try to do a barrel roll and if that goes good then I am going to go nose down and call it a night.” pic.twitter.com/83kpL44rw9 — Benjamin Bearup (@TheAviationBeat) August 11, 2018
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. — Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) August 11, 2018
One man wrote on Twitter, “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.”
Morgan Chesky, a reporter for KOMO News, wrote, “Per JBLM source: After being contacted by F-15’s, stolen plane began to nose dive, crashing in north Pierce County.”
Horizon has approximately 4000 employees and serves more than 45 cities in Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Canada.
Local radio reports said firefighting helicopters were dispatched to Ketron Island to put out small fire burning after the stolen Q400 crashed on the south end.
If you or someone you know needs help, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit Beyond Blue’s website.
- with AP
FAA , FBI and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board officials are investigating the crash of a Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 turboprop in woodland on Ketron Island near Tacoma, Washington, around 1.5 hr after it was stolen by an airline employee, believed to be a ground service agent. The incident began around 8pm Pacific on Aug 10, when a Q400 made an unauthorized takeoff from Seattle’s SeaTac International airport. Although details remain scant at this time, operations at SeaTac were temporarily shut down and two Air National Guard F-15Cs , call sign Rock 41 and 42, from the 142 nd Fighter Wing in Portland, Oregon, were scrambled to intercept the Q400. A U.S. Air Force KC-135R tanker was also dispatched from Fairchild AFB to support the F-15s. Just after 10pm Pacific, Horizon parent company Alaska Airlines tweeted confirmation that “a Horizon Air Q400 that had an unauthorized takeoff from SeaTac around 8pm has gone down near Ketron Island in Pierce County, WA. We're working to confirm who was on board, we believe there were no guests or crew on board other than the person operating the plane.” Pierce County Sheriff’s Department also tweeted that the suspect is “confirmed a suicidal male. Acted alone he is 29-year-old Pierce County resident. We are working background on him now.” Officials indicate the aircraft crashed due to pilot action and was not forced or shot down. Washington State governor Jay Inslee later confirmed the events in a statement. “There are still a lot of unknowns surrounding tonight’s tragic incident of a stolen Horizon Air plane from SeaTac Airport. The responding fighter pilots flew alongside the aircraft and we were ready to do whatever was needed to protect us, but in the end, the man flying the stolen plane crashed on Ketron Island.” The aircraft, registered N449QX, was delivered to Horizon in June 2012, and, according to the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com, had earlier that day operated scheduled flights to and from Victoria, on Canada’s Vancouver Island. Prior to crashing, the aircraft was filmed conducting extreme maneuvers over the Puget Sound, including a barrel roll and inverted vertical dive culminating in a high g pull-out just a few feet above the water’s surface.
