Airline worker steals plane from SeaTac airport then crashes it
Posted August 10, 2018 9:35 pm.
Last Updated August 11, 2018 2:23 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SEATTLE (NEWS 1130) – An airline employee who stole a Horizon Air plane from a Seattle airport Friday night told air traffic controllers that he was a “broken guy” but also joked about whether the airline would hire him as a pilot if he landed safely.
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.
He told them, “Those guys will rough me up if I try and land there.”
During another part of the exchange, the man said he was concerned he was going to run low on fuel. Later, he said he’s “got a lot of people that care about me.”
He said he didn’t want to disappoint them but that he was “just a broken guy, got a dew screws loose, I guess.”
Alaska Airlines confirms a Horizon Air Q400 took off without authorization Friday night. The airline believes there were no passengers on board.
SeaTac has confirmed the plane has crashed in south Puget Sound.
We still don’t know the identity of the man who took the plane, but he’s being described as a 29-year-old airline employee from Pierce County.
In a statement, Horizon Air said he worked as a ground service worker, who directs and de-ices planes, and manages luggage.
Here is some more witness video of the plane flying around Washington state.
