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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/11/seatac-airport-seattle-plane-takes-off-without-permission
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| Seattle: stolen plane crashes after rogue take-off from Sea-Tac airport | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A plane has been stolen from Seattle-Tacoma international airport by an employee and crashed nearby, authorities have confirmed after flights were grounded in a major security incident. | |
| One or more F-15 fighter planes contacted the rogue aircraft and it crashed soon afterwards, said local media, citing sources at Joint Base Lewis–McChord (JBLM) air force base. The plane came down near Ketron Island in the Puget Sound about 25 miles south-west of the airport. | |
| The emergency shut down the airport, known as Sea-Tac, and the surrounding skies. | |
| Per JBLM source: After being contacted by F-15’s, stolen plane began to nose dive, crashing in north Pierce County. #KOMONews | Per JBLM source: After being contacted by F-15’s, stolen plane began to nose dive, crashing in north Pierce County. #KOMONews |
| The plane involved was a Horizon Air Q400 with no passengers on board, tweeted Alaskan Airlines. Videos posted online showed an aircraft matching the description being followed by what appeared to be a fighter jet. | |
| Video of the stolen Q400 out of @SeaTacAirport being chased by an F-15 pic.twitter.com/L2RhTJnpga | |
| Following the crash, a law enforcement spokesperson described the incident as a suicide. The pilot was described as a 29-year-old mechanic. | |
| Recordings of an air traffic control conversation with the 29-year-old pilot supported the suicide claim. | |
| “This is not a terrorist incident,” Pierce County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Detective Ed Troyer said on Twitter. | |
| “This is a single suicide male. We know who he is. No others involved.” | |
| Flights were grounded with some passengers tweeting that their plane stopped abruptly on the runway. The Q400 is a Bombardier model sometimes referred to as a Dash-8. Horizon Air is a division of Alaskan that flies shorter routes in the western US. | |
| 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. | 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. |
| Gary is at Sea-Tac, I'm in Pierce County headed to where witnesses saw plane chased by F-15s, then a boom, and smoke. @KIRO7Seattle https://t.co/82wQiXwBQ0 | Gary is at Sea-Tac, I'm in Pierce County headed to where witnesses saw plane chased by F-15s, then a boom, and smoke. @KIRO7Seattle https://t.co/82wQiXwBQ0 |
| Air traffic controllers and pilots could be heard discussing the “ground stop” and dealing with a backlog of aircraft in the aftermath of the drama. | |
| Halfway down the runway on Alaska airlines out of Seattle and the pilot slams on the brakes and shares we must go back to the gate. Quite a scary experience. Not entirely sure what’s happening. Someone sneak on board? | Halfway down the runway on Alaska airlines out of Seattle and the pilot slams on the brakes and shares we must go back to the gate. Quite a scary experience. Not entirely sure what’s happening. Someone sneak on board? |
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