[US] Stolen plane closes Seattle airport before crashing

Gordon_R

Gordon_R

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45153535

An airline employee who stole an empty passenger plane from Seattle airport has crashed on a nearby island.

Authorities said the man had made "an unauthorised take-off" late on Friday local time, forcing Seattle Tacoma International Airport to close.

Two F15 fighter jets pursued the plane. It is unclear if the man survived the crash into Puget Sound.
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The plane was a Horizon Air Q400, according to a statement from Horizon's partner airline Alaska Airlines. It crashed on the south of Ketron Island, near a military facility.
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A few screws loose, according to reports.
 
In the audio recording, the man can be heard starting to worry about how much fuel he had on board. He also suggests he could land the aircraft by himself because he had played "some video games".

In the audio recording, the man can be heard starting to worry about how much fuel he had on board. He also suggests he could land the aircraft by himself because he had played "some video games".

The man, who is referred to by what is believed to be his first name, also discusses:

The co-ordinates for the orca carrying her dead calf on her back
Looking at the view and possibly going to look at the Olympic Mountains, in Washington State
If he can do a barrel roll before landing and "calling it a day"
Whether or not Alaska Airlines would give him a job after a successful landing
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Those happy pills that he took must have been potent.
 
[video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=HCtfYF3ITGE[/video]
He went out have a load of fun.
 
[video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-GzroZxwhJg[/video]
 
How did this happen and what is stopping other crazies from doing the same, there are plenty of them in America.
 
If he can do a barrel roll before landing and "calling it a day"
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Oh you wouldn't be the first person to try that one. The USAF still today uses this incident in their training specifically because the pilot was a bully, unstable and other pilots complained about his dangerous flying for years however the USAF did nothing about it. Until this.

[video=youtube;Pviuk_WuwmM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pviuk_WuwmM[/video]
 
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How to steal an aeroplane

Step inside the cockpit of an empty commercial aircraft and the pilot controls are yours. You don’t need a key or any special passcode to power up the plane and fly it away, whether it’s a small regional jet or a giant twin-deck Airbus A380.

[Bloomberg]
 
Some background from Reuters: http://ewn.co.za/2018/08/12/suspected-seattle-airplane-thief-was-adventurer-bakery-owner

Russell worked for Horizon Airlines, a sister carrier of Alaska Airlines as a ground service agent who helped baggage handlers and was part of Horizon’s tow team, which moved planes around on the tarmac. It was a job that gave him the perk of “being able to fly to Alaska at my leisure,” he wrote on the page.
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BTW, members of the public would have some difficulty in getting access to the airport runway, and using a ground tug to push an aircraft into position (they always face the terminal after landing).
 
Imagine that!
One way of taking yourself out. Hopefully he didnt kill more people.
 
Imagine that!
One way of taking yourself out. Hopefully he didnt kill more people.
 
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