Daily Mail: EXCLUSIVE: Suicidal airport mechanic who stole a 76-seat plane and performed stunts before crashing into an island in a ball of flames is a married 29-year-old from Alaska who dreamed of joining the military
* Horizon Air Q400 stolen from Seattle-Tacoma Airport by a suicidal ex-employee who flew in loop-the-loops
* F-15 fighters scrambled 'within minutes' and directed the plane from populated areas towards the coast
* Plunged into a heavily wooded area on the sparsely-populated Ketron Island and was engulfed by flames
* Police described the pilot as a 29-year-old employee who lived in Pierce County but did not name him
* His main role at the airport was to unload bags, and seems to have had no flying experience
* Extraordinary audio from the airport traffic control tower sees officials addressing the pilot as 'Rich'
* 'I'm not ready to bring it down yet,' Rich says, before joking about how he will have to do 'jail time for life'
* Friday's incident caused travel chaos with planes stranded on the runway and several flights delayed
The man who hijacked an Alaska Airlines plane in Seattle on Friday night taking it for a joyride before crashing on an island in a ball of flames is a married 29-year-old Horizon Air employee who dreamed of joining the military.
The mechanic, referred to as 'Rich' and 'Richard' by air traffic controllers, was born in Key West, Florida and moved to Alaska as a child.
He met his wife in Oregon in 2010 while they were in school and married one year later. The newlyweds then opened a bakery together, which is now closed. They moved to Seattle in 2015.
While living in Seattle, Rich started working for Horizon Airlines with the hopes of working in a management position. He also had dreams of becoming an officer in the military.
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WNU Editor: I am impressed by the quick reaction of the F-15s. Still, this could have ended in a massive disaster.
More News On Today's Hijacking And Crash Of An Empty Plane In Seattle
Plane crashes after 'unauthorized take-off' from SeaTac airport, officials say -- FOX News
Plane stolen by 'suicidal' employee crashes after unauthorized takeoff at Seattle airport -- ABC News
Airline employee steals plane from Seattle airport, crashes and dies -- CNN
'Suicidal' man steals and crashes empty plane from Seattle airport -- AFP
'Airline Employee' Steals Plane From SeaTac Airport, Performs Stunts Before Crashing It -- IBTimes
Seattle plane crash: Audio emerges of extraordinary conversation between hijacker and air traffic control -- The Independent
Oregon F-15s Scramble To Seattle To Intercept Possibly Stolen Q400 Airliner (Updated) -- The Drive
