![]() N449QX, the aircraft involved in the incident, photographed two months before the crash. | |
Incident | |
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Date | August 10, 2018 |
Summary | Aircraft theft and suicide |
Site | Ketron Island, Washington, United States 47°08′53″N 122°38′15″W / 47.148056°N 122.637500°W[1] |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Bombardier Q400 |
Operator | Alaska Airlines |
Registration | N449QX |
Flight origin | Seattle–Tacoma International Airport |
Occupants | 1 |
Fatalities | 1 |
Survivors | 0 |
On August 10, 2018, a Horizon Air De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 was stolen from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (Sea–Tac) by 28-year-old Richard Russell, a Horizon Air ground service agent with no piloting experience. After Russell performed an unauthorized takeoff, two McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle fighters were scrambled to intercept the aircraft. Sea–Tac air traffic control made radio contact with Russell, the sole occupant, who described himself as a "broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess." About 1 hour and 15 minutes after takeoff, Russell crashed the aircraft on lightly populated Ketron Island in Puget Sound, killing himself.