Plane stolen by ‘suicidal’ employee crashes after unauthorized takeoff at Seattle airport

An empty Horizon Air passenger plane has crashed after it was stolen by a ground employee from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Friday night, according to local authorities and a senior federal aviation source.

North American Aerospace Defense Command launched fighter jets to intercept the aircraft, which was steered away from Seattle and Tacoma by air traffic control, on its hour-long flight, according to the source. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said the two F-15s were not involved in the crash.

The plane took off without authorization around 8 p.m. local time and crashed on Ketron Island, which is southwest of Tacoma, in south Puget Sound. The small island has only about 20 year-round residents.

The individual who stole the plane, a 29 year-old man from Pierce County, died in the crash, according to the the sheriff’s department, which described him as “suicidal.” Horizon Air COO Constance von Muehlen confirmed the man was an employee of the airline carrier.

The sheriff said this was not a terrorist incident.

“Most terrorists don’t do loops over the water,” said Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor. “This might have been a joyride gone terribly wrong.”

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department has a number of vessels on scene, while the U.S. Coast Guard is on scene as well. A large fire could be seen from aerial shots of the island. Officials said no one on the ground was harmed, nor were any buildings.

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The Pierce County Sheriff tweeted, “Stolen horizon airplane crashed into Ketron island. Preliminary info is that a mechanic from unknown airlines stole plane. Was doing stunts in air or lack of flying skills caused crash into Island.”

Alaska Airlines, the parent company of Horizon Air, tweeted about an incident involving an “unauthorized take-off of a Horizon Air Q400. They said there were no passengers on board.

The plane, a Bombardier Dash 8 – Q400, has the capability to hold about 75 passengers and is used for short travel in the West.

Many passengers awaiting takeoff tweeted that their planes were stopped on the ground during the incident.

Sea-Tac confirmed an airline employee took off without passengers and tweeted normal operations had resumed by 9:30 p.m. local time.

The FBI’s Seattle field office released a statement via Twitter, saying it was in contact with officials and the incident did not appear to indicate a “terrorist threat.”

“Although response efforts to tonight’s aircraft incident and the investigation are still ongoing, information gathered thus far does NOT suggest a terrorist threat or additional, pending criminal activity,” the agency tweeted Friday night. “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.”

Alaska Air Group CEO Brad Tilden released a statement Saturday, saying the company was “working to find out everything we possibly can about what happened.”

“We are still gathering facts, but at this point we understand there was only one person aboard, an employee of Horizon Air, who was operating the aircraft. I want to share how incredibly sad all of us at Alaska are about this incident,” Tilden said. “Our heart is heavy for the family and friends of the person involved.

“We’re working to find out everything we possibly can about what happened, working with the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Transportation Safety Board,” he added. “We are giving those investigators our full support and cooperation. With these investigations underway, our focus will remain on supporting the family of the individual involved, the broader Alaska and Horizon family, and our communities and guests.”

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said President Donald Trump has been briefed on the incident.

“The President has been briefed on the incident involving a stolen plane from Sea-Tac Airport in Seattle and is monitoring the situation as information becomes available,” Sanders said in a statement Saturday morning. “Federal authorities are assisting with the ongoing investigation which is being led by local authorities. We commend the interagency response effort for their swift action and protection of public safety.”