In a bizarre incident that seems like a scene straight out of a movie, an employee of the Seattle airport is said to have stolen an aircraft belonging to Alaska Airlines and crashed it after taking off from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The aircraft was diverted to an area away from the city by a US Air Force Fighter Jet, after which it went down on Ketron Island. No passengers were on board the aircraft.
After the incident, Alaska Airlines released a statement on Twitter this: "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."
Officials of the Pierce County Sheriff and the coast guard are said to be at the spot and have ruled out a terrorism angle. Without identifying the employee, authorities have said that he is a 29-year-old.
The Man's Conversation With The ATC
The man is even said to have joked with the Air Traffic Controllers after taking off and said that he was going to jail for stealing the aircraft. Airways magazine Aviation Beat correspondent Benjamin Bearup tweeted an audio, said to be the pilot's conversation with traffic controllers.
"I think I am going to try to do a barrel roll and if that goes good then I am going to go nose down and call it a night," he is heard saying.
While operations at the Seattle-Tacoma airport remained disrupted for a while, services have now resumed.
