 N449QX, the aircraft involved in the incident, photographed 2 months before the crash. | |
| Incident | |
|---|---|
| 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.