FBI look into motive behind stolen plane takeoff
Federal authorities were seeking to learn what drove an airline worker to steal an empty airplane from Seattle’s airport in a security scar
A Horizon Air ground service agent got into a Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft on Friday night in a maintenance area at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and took off, Horizon sister carrier Alaska Airlines said.
He flew for about one hour, often erratically with attempts at aerial stunts, before crashing onto sparsely populated Ketron Island in Puget Sound, some 25 miles (40 km) to the southwest.
The 29-year-old man, who has not been officially identified, was suicidal and appeared to have acted alone, according to authorities. He was believed to have been killed in the crash.
Relatives and co-workers identified the man as Richard Russell of Sumner, Washington, who also went by the name Beebo.
“He was a faithful husband, a loving son, and a good friend,” the Russell family said in a statement.
Published: by Radio NewsHub