An airline worker stole an empty Alaska Airlines plane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington on Friday night, and the National Guard scrambled two fighter jets to chase the aircraft, which crashed on a sparsely populated island in Puget Sound, officials said. No passengers were aboard the 76-seat Horizon Air Q400 turboprop plane, which was stolen by a 29-year-old Horizon Air ground service agent from Pierce County, according to airline and law enforcement officials. Horizon Air is a subsidiary company that operates Alaska Airlines aircraft. The man was described as suicidal, and it appeared impossible that he could have survived the crash. Authorities said there was no indication that the crash was a terrorist incident. The plane made an unauthorized takeoff from the airport around 8 p.m. and crashed on Ketron Island, about five miles southwest of Tacoma, after the renegade pilot bantered erratically with air-traffic controllers who pleaded with him to land the plane, according to officials and dispatch audio. Advertisement “This is probably jail time for life, huh?” said the man, identified on the radio as Rich, according to dispatch audio reviewed by the Seattle Times. “I would hope it is for a guy like me.” “Oh, Richard,” said an air-traffic controller, “We’re not going to worry or think about that. But could you start a left turn please?” The employee added: “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 to apologize to each and every one of them. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. Never really knew it, until now.” At another point, the employee said: “I’m gonna land it, in a safe kind of manner. I think I’m gonna try to do a barrel roll, and if that goes good, I’m just gonna nose down and call it a night.” Video posted by witnesses on social media showed the plane making a barrel roll over what appears to be Puget Sound, with some people crying out in terror as the plane exited the roll in a dive toward the water, before barely pulling up in time and flying away. “Oh, my God! Oh, my God! He’s OK? He’s OK,” one woman said in a video posted on Facebook, which showed at least one military jet in pursuit. It’s not clear how long afterward the plane crashed. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department tweeted that it was “not a terrorist incident” but that F-15 fighter jets had scrambled out of Portland, Ore., to intercept the passenger plane. The FBI issued a statement saying that “information gathered thus far does NOT suggest a terrorist threat or additional, pending criminal activity.” Advertisement Follow this thread for official info. This is not a terrorist incident. Confirmed info .. this is a single suicide male. We know who he is. No others involved. — Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) August 11, 2018 The fighter jets were traveling so quickly that at least one of them broke the sound barrier and caused a sonic boom that some people in the vicinity mistook for an explosion, according to the Sheriff’s Department. “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 on Ketron Island,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement, adding that the jets belonged to the Air National Guard from Washington and Oregon. “Those pilots are trained for moments like tonight and showed they are ready and capable,” Inslee said. Advertisement Alaska Airlines said “it does not appear that these [military] jets were involved in the crash of the Horizon aircraft.” The plane crashed in a wooded area on Ketron Island and did not hit any structures, according to an Alaska Airlines statement. Ketron Island is primarily forested and undeveloped, with a few homes toward the north end of the island, according to a Pierce County website. Helicopter footage from KIRO-TV showed flames on Ketron Island where the plane was believed to have crashed. In this long-exposure photo, smoke and an orange glow are seen on Ketron Island after a stolen plane crashed. (Ted S. Warren / Associated Press) Advertisement Fire crews had to board ferries to reach the blaze, according to KING-TV and the West Pierce Fire and Rescue. The Sheriff’s Department directed inquiries to the FBI, indicating federal law enforcement officials would be taking a primary role in the investigation into how the incident unfolded. The plane had been in a “maintenance position” and was not scheduled for passenger flight when it was stolen, according to a statement from Alaska Airlines. “Our hearts are with the family of the individual on board as well as all our Alaska Air and Horizon Air employees,” Horizon Air Chief Operating Officer Constance von Muehlen said in a video statement. Advertisement According to a Horizon Air job posting, ground service agents “play a critical role to keep our flights running smoothly and safely. Whatever the weather, you’ll direct aircraft for takeoff, gate approach, load and unload luggage, and operate equipment to de-ice planes in the winter.” UPDATES: Aug. 11, 12:35 a.m.: This article was updated with further description of the worker’s job and the crash. 11:30 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with staff reporting, including excerpts from dispatch audio. Advertisement This article was originally published at 9:50 p.m. Aug. 10.<doc-sep>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 A suicidal airport grounds services worker stole an airplane from Sea-Tac International Airport and took it on a dramatic unauthorized flight, where it was chased by fighter planes as he attempted “stunts” in the air before the plane crashed, authorities and multiple reports on social media said. “A joyride gone terribly wrong,” Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said in a news conference, adding that the plane crashed either because the man didn’t know how to fly it or because the man was trying to perform stunts. The 29-year-old Washington State man appears to be dead, but no one else was injured, Pastor said. The pilot was named as Richard Russell by the Seattle Times. You can read about Russell’s life here. Audio captured emotional conversations between the man, named as “Rich,” and air traffic controllers trying to help him land the 76-seat airplane safely. Rich was born in Key West, Florida, moved to Alaska as a child, and once ran a bakery; he dreamed of being in the military and was assigned to unload bags at the Seattle airport, but was not authorized to fly airplanes. His family expressed “complete shock” and remembered him as a compassionate man. Here is a statement from the family of Richard Russell, the Horizon Air employee who stole a plane, crashed it into Ketron Island. “This is a complete shock to us. We are devastated by these events and Jesus is truly the only one holding this family together right now.” pic.twitter.com/5z4BYRBrcU — Kierra Elfalan (@KierraElfalanTV) August 12, 2018 “Damnit Andrew, people’s lives are at stake here,” Rich said at one point in the audio, which you can listen to later in this article. “Ah, Rich, don’t say stuff like that,” the controller said. “I don’t want to hurt no one. I just want you to whisper sweet nothings into my ear,” said Rich, a Horizon Airlines employee from Sumner, Washington, who claimed he could fly the plane because he played video games. However, at another point Rich admitted he didn’t know how to land the plane and was never planning to do so. “I wouldn’t know how to land it,” he said. Sea-Tac airport confirmed the plane was down a short time later. “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,” the airport wrote. 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 The audio between the man known as “Rich” and air traffic controllers further captured his demeanor. “I’ve got a lot of people that care about me. I’m going to disappoint them to hear that I did this. I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose I guess. Never really knew it, until now,” the unidentified man said at one point. I'm listening through the archive of the radio chatter on the #seatac hijacking. Below are some of the clips. pic.twitter.com/ziBAYv7cgn — Jimmy Thomson (@jwsthomson) August 11, 2018 At one point, Rich asked for help in getting the cabin depressurized, complaining he was getting lightheaded. “I don’t need that much help; I’ve played some video games before,” he told the controllers trying to help him. “Ah, minimum wage. We’ll chalk it up to that. Maybe that will grease the gears a little bit with the higher-ups,” he said at another point. Full video form John Waldron on Facebook being shown on CNN #seatac pic.twitter.com/R98bl5uQBr — Cameron Thomsen (@CameronThomsen) August 11, 2018 At another point, Rich said, “I’m down to 2100; I started at like 30-something.” “Rich, you said you had 2100 pounds of fuel left?” the controller responded. “Yeah – I don’t know what the burnage…is like on a takeoff but yeah. It’s burned quite a bit faster than I expected.” VideoVideo related to passengers report stolen seatac plane, grounded flights 2018-08-10T23:49:23-04:00 At one point, “Rich” talked about the serenity of the view. Talking about watching the sights go by. This one got me. #seatacstolenplane Thank you @petersterne for this. pic.twitter.com/xW6oFCYrYe — Jimmy Thomson (@jwsthomson) August 11, 2018 You can listen to more of the archived audio later in this article. “I hope this prompts a nationwide discussion about mental healthcare overall. ?” wrote one woman on Twitter, echoing the comments of many people who heard it. (If you need help, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.) Listening to the audio recordings, I feel nothing but sadness for Rich, for the man who stole that plane at #SeaTac and committed suicide. He sounds like a broken man who needed help. — Luke Adams ? (@luketadams) August 11, 2018 I’m praying for #Rich tonight—not just the guy who stole a plane from #SeaTac, but every guy like Rich who (it seems…but I’ll admit I’m assuming a lot here) is suffering and cannot find a better way out. Here’s hoping that the next Rich crashes on a couch of a good listener. — Joe (@htown_Joe) August 11, 2018 Here’s what you need to know: Fighter Jets Chased the Plane Before It Crashed Into Ketron Island Video showing the moments that the stolen plane crashed outside of Seattle ? pic.twitter.com/ZkHvhouHlN — Kris Hanson (@KrisHansonRCF) August 11, 2018 The man’s bizarre and ultimately doomed flight pushed fighter planes into action. The Pierce County Sheriff wrote on Twitter, “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.” The Sheriff’s Department added, “Two military F 15 chased plane but was not involved in crash” and confirmed, “No passengers on plane.” NORAD said in a statement that the fighter jets did not fire on the airplane or shoot it down. FAA reported stolen a/c from Sea-Tac airport and requested DoD assistance. NORAD launched 2x F-15 who intercepted the a/c and were working to redirect the aircraft out over the Pacific when it crashed. The fighters did not fire upon the a/c. Event pass to local rescue and law enf pic.twitter.com/f9wQ6ew80L — NORAD & USNORTHCOM (@Norad_Northcom) August 11, 2018 The fighter jets were scrambled from Portland. The Sheriff’s Department also wrote: “Told F 15s made it within a few minutes of theft of plane. Pilots kept plane out of harms way and people on ground safe. Yay air force . They may not admit for a few days. But is true..” Alaska Airlines also released this statement: Alaska Airlines believes a ground service agent employed by Horizon Air was the individual responsible for flying the Horizon Q400 without clearance from Sea-Tac International Airport around 8 p.m. tonight. The plane, which was taken from a maintenance position and was not scheduled for passenger flight, crashed about an hour later in a wooded area on Ketron Island in rural Pierce County. No ground structures were involved at the crash site. Military jets were scrambled from Portland, but it does not appear that these jets were involved in the crash of the Horizon aircraft. This individual who took the aircraft, who has not yet been positively identified until remains are examined, is believed to have been the only person on the plane when the plane was taken from a maintenance position at Sea-Tac. The man has not been named, but authorities said he was suicidal. “Male is confirmed a suicidal male. Acted alone he is 29 year old Pierce county residence. We are working back ground on him now,” the Pierce County Sheriff wrote. “This is not a terrorist incident. Confirmed info .. this is a single suicide male. We know who he is. No others involved.” He's flying out over the Olympic mountains when his radio starts to become harder to hear. Thanks @BrianJAlford for this one. pic.twitter.com/Ao7wneMFme — Jimmy Thomson (@jwsthomson) August 11, 2018 The FBI’s Seattle office is investigating but doesn’t suspect terrorism. 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. — FBI Seattle (@FBISeattle) August 11, 2018 The airline earlier confirmed that an “unauthorized take-off” occurred. “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 wrote on Twitter around 9:20 p.m. on the west coast. 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 People posted photos and videos to Twitter of a plume of smoke and possible crash site. 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.” @KING5Seattle here’s a video of the hijacked plane and fighter escort from Steilacoom in the ferry line for anderson Island pic.twitter.com/8fgAUe05xv — Kai Simpson (@Kai_AHS) August 11, 2018 CBS News reporter Kris Van Cleave wrote, “FAA sources say it appears an airline employee stole a Horizon Air Turbo Prop from SeaTac and took off and crashed Ketron Island outside Seattle.” He shared a tweet from a woman named Victoria, who wrote, “Sitting on a plane at SeaTac Airport, a Horizon employee just hijacked an airplane. He is flying around the airport, he does not know how to land it. Happening right now. SeaTac airport.” VideoVideo related to passengers report stolen seatac plane, grounded flights 2018-08-10T23:49:23-04:00 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.” Apparently someone stole a plane from SeaTac? Saw two fighter jets fly overhead then smoke pic.twitter.com/w0bveGUJQH — McKenna Brown (@mckenna_brown) August 11, 2018 Live aviation audio from the tower said, at one point, that dispatchers were urging the man to try “to land that airplane safely and not hurt anybody” while dealing with a snarl of stalled planes on the ground. Other audio reported a ground stop was underway at SeaTac, the airport that services Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. Patch confirmed there was a “security incident” underway at SeaTac. Laments that he can't just chat with the people on the other end. @BrianJAlford pic.twitter.com/m1S5h9Ay7f — Jimmy Thomson (@jwsthomson) August 11, 2018 At one point in the dramatic audio, “Rich” told the tower he was losing an engine. Periodically, his voice cut into the dispatches. At one point, “Rich” (or “Rick”), said on the aviation audio, “This is probably jail time for life, huh? I would hope it is for a guy like me.” People on Twitter who were following the aviation audio reported that the man attempted a “barrel roll” with the plane at one point – or at least claimed he was going to do so. Others reported that the man had supposedly “buzzed” Mt. Rainier. The man said to dispatchers at one point, “You think if I can land this successfully, Alaska will give me a job as a pilot?” and the Air Traffic Control tower said, “I think they will give you a job doing anything if you pull this off.” He replied, “yeahhh right. Nah, I’m a white guy.” “There is the runway just about a mile off your right side, do you see that? That’s McChord field,” the controller tells the man. “Aw man, those guys would rough me up if I tried landing there,” Rich says. “I think I might mess something up there too. I wouldn’t want to do that. Oh- they’ve probably got anti-aircraft…not quite ready to bring it down just yet. Holy smokes, I’ve got to stop looking at the fuel because it’s going down quick.”<doc-sep>
A man stole an airplane from Sea-Tac International Airport and took it on a dramatic unauthorized flight, where it was chased by fighter planes before it crashed, according to multiple reports. The Pierce County Sheriff wrote on Twitter, “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.” VideoVideo related to stolen alaska airlines sea-tac plane crashes: video 2018-08-11T00:41:58-04:00 The man who took the plane was later identified as Richard Russell. You can read about his life here. The Sheriff’s Department added, “Two military F 15 chased plane but was not involved in crash” and confirmed, “No passengers on plane.” Wrote the Sheriff: “This is not a terrorist incident. Confirmed info .. this is a single suicide male. We know who he is. No others involved.” Here’s video of the crash site: Video showing the moments that the stolen plane crashed outside of Seattle ? pic.twitter.com/ZkHvhouHlN — Kris Hanson (@KrisHansonRCF) August 11, 2018 Here’s more video of the stolen plane: @KING5Seattle here’s a video of the hijacked plane and fighter escort from Steilacoom in the ferry line for anderson Island pic.twitter.com/8fgAUe05xv — Kai Simpson (@Kai_AHS) August 11, 2018 Sea-Tac airport also confirmed the plane was down. “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,” the airport wrote. 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 Videos and photos circulated that appeared to show a plane crash site after the aircraft was stolen, according to Air Traffic Control audio, by a man named “Rich” or “Rick.” Another Twitter user wrote, “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.” That Twitter user then posted this video: 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 This man archived some of the conversations the man on the plane had with ATC: I'm listening through the archive of the radio chatter on the #seatac hijacking. Below are some of the clips. pic.twitter.com/ziBAYv7cgn — Jimmy Thomson (@jwsthomson) August 11, 2018 ABC News reporter Jeffrey Cook wrote, “A senior federal aviation source tells ABC News that a ground employee got a hold of an empty Horizon Air Dash-8 — ATC was in communication with the pilot and was able to vector the pilot away from the city. NORAD scrambled fighters. Aircraft crashed on Ketron Island.” Alaska Airlines Says an ‘Unauthorized Take-Off’ Occurred 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 Alaska Airlines, which owns the plane, confirmed that an “unauthorized take-off” occurred. “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 wrote on Twitter around 9:20 p.m. on the west coast. 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.” CBS News reporter Kris Van Cleave wrote, “FAA sources say it appears an airline employee stole a Horizon Air Turbo Prop from SeaTac and took off and crashed Ketron Island outside Seattle.” He shared a tweet from a woman named Victoria, who wrote, “Sitting on a plane at SeaTac Airport, a Horizon employee just hijacked an airplane. He is flying around the airport, he does not know how to land it. Happening right now. SeaTac airport.” 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.” Dispatch Audio Captured the Man Talking to ATC Apparently someone stole a plane from SeaTac?