Suicidal mechanic steals empty plane, crashes near Seattle

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A suicidal airline mechanic stole an empty Horizon Airlines plane, took off from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in the Pacific Northwest and was chased by military jets before crashing near a small island in the Puget Sound on Friday night, US officials said.

The employee managed to taxi the plane on a runway and take off without authorization at around 8:00 p.m. local time.

Screenshot of Seattle airport's official Twitter account

Preliminary information suggested that the 29-year-old mechanic stole the Horizon Air Q400 on his own, and the crash occurred because he was “doing stunts in air or lack of flying skills,” the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said.

Ed Troyer, a spokesman for the sheriff’s department, said on Twitter the man was suicidal and there was no connection to terrorism.

Video showed the aircraft doing large loops and other dangerous maneuvers as the sun set.

The Bombardier Q400 is a turboprop plane with 76 seats, with a wingspan of 28.4 meters.

A Horizon Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, reported to be hijacked, flies over Fircrest, Washington, US, before crashing in the South Puget Sound, August 10, 2018. /VCG photo

Witnesses reported seeing the plane being chased by military aircraft before it crashed near Ketron Island, southwest of Tacoma, Washington. There were no passengers aboard.

The man could be heard on audio recordings telling air traffic controllers that he is “just a broken guy.”

The US Coast Guard sent a 14-meter vessel to the crash scene after witnesses reported seeing a large plume of smoke in the air, Petty Officer Ali Flockerzi said.

The fate of the man was not immediately clear following the crash.

Air Alaska passengers wait in the terminal following an incident where an airline employee took off in an airplane, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle, Washington, US, August 10, 2018. /VCG photo

Horizon Air is part of Alaska Air Group and flies shorter routes throughout the US West.

8713km

Source(s): AP