Puget Sound

Alaska Airlines plane stolen from SeaTac airport: What we know so far

“This is not a terrorist incident.”<p>An airline employee stole an empty Alaska Airlines Q400 passenger airplane from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) late Friday night and has since crashed on Ketron Island in the southern Puget Sound. No passengers are believed to have been on board …

F-15Cs break sound barrier to intercept stolen airliner out of Seattle airport in bizarre incident

In a bizarre incident originating from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington state an Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Bombardier Dash 8 twin-engine turboprop commuter airliner was commandeered by a lone male, reported to be an airport maintenance worker, and crashed into the ground on …

Why You Should Start Planning Your Trip to the San Juan Islands Now (Plus 7 Amazing Vacation Rentals)

Summer may be winding down, but the San Juan Islands are just about to hit their sweet spot.<p>A mecca for whale watching, wine tasting, hiking, and …

Airline Employee Steals Plane From Sea-Tac Airport, Crashes After Being Tailed by Fighters

A 29-year-old airline employee “thought to be suicidal” stole a 76-seat Q400 turboprop plane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) on …

Seattle hijacker’s plane heist, midair stunts and fiery crash expose gaps in aviation security

The 29-year-old hijacker was performing midair stunts over Puget Sound, an erratic flight pattern that seemed to mirror the loops and barrel rolls of his radio chatter.<p>He told the control tower he was “a broken guy” but a lot of people cared about him and he wanted to apologize. He asked the …

Stolen passenger plane rolls, dives toward Puget Sound

Richard Russell: The well-liked airline worker who died after stealing plane in Seattle

They were not his last words but they revealed something of Richard Russell's story as he sat at the controls of a stolen passenger aircraft, a few hundred feet above the ground.<p>“I’ve got a lot of people that care about me," he told air traffic controllers. "It’s going to disappoint them to hear …

Questions raised over how airline employee was able to steal and crash plane

An airline employee stole a plane in Washington state and crashed in Puget Sound after being chased by F-15 fighter jets late Friday, but questions linger as to how he was able to do it and what security measures are in place to respond to these types of situations.<p>The employee of Horizon Air, a …

SeaTac Hijacker Had the Skills to Take Out a Skyscraper

Horizon Air ground handler knew how to fly without tearing the plane apart—a plane with enough fuel to be a flying bomb. How could he even take off …

Commandeered plane in Seattle sets off security concerns

SEATTLE — The story was as bizarre as it was tragic: An airline worker who had no business being in a cockpit somehow took off from a major airport …

Hannah Russell: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Hannah and Richard Russell traveled the world together. For Hannah, things were always “better with” her husband. He was her “kindred soul,” kept her …

The scene as an airline employee steals empty plane at Seattle airport then crashes it on a Puget Sound island

Towboat crew dropped everything to respond to Ketron Island crash

Towboat operator Ryan Johnson with Western Towboat Company was on his vessel near DuPont Friday night, preparing to take out two barges as the sun …

Stolen Horizon Air plane ‘a serious breach,’ raises questions about airport security

He was a 29-year-old grounds crew member, fully credentialed to be inside secure areas and certified to tow aircraft around the tarmac. But federal …

Growing Spokane, Washington, sheds its sleepy city image

Ramsey and Amy Pruchnic lived in the Seattle area for five years before deciding they wanted to escape the Puget Sound rat race and move closer to family on the opposite side of the state.<p>Now they own their own businesses and live in a 1928 farmhouse on 10 rural acres they bought just south of …

Where is Ketron Island? Who lives there?

Ketron Island, the site of a crash of a hijacked Alaska Airlines plane taken from Sea-Tac Airport sits in the South Puget Sound.<p>The privately owned …

Boeing's toxic PCBs ooze into Seattle's Duwamish River

Decades after they were banned, the toxic chemicals known as PCBs keep oozing into Seattle's Duwamish River. Environmental groups say one Boeing …

'Suicidal' airline employee performs series of stunts in stolen plane before crashing near Seattle, police say

"Federal authorities are assisting with the ongoing investigation which is being led by local authorities. We commend the interagency response effort …

Stolen airplane from Seattle airport crashes

An airline employee took off in an airplane at Seattle's Tacoma International Airport on Friday in an unauthorised flight before crashing in the south Puget Sound, the airport said on social media.<p>No passengers were onboard and normal operations have resumed at the airfield, the airport said on …

LISTEN: Cockpit audio from worker who stole empty plane from Sea-Tac Airport

A Horizon employee stole an empty plane from Sea-Tac International Airport Friday night. The 29-year-old man communicated with air traffic control …

‘I have not slept in days’: Readers react to Tahlequah, the mother orca clinging to her dead calf

It’s been more than 10 days since the orca Tahlequah, also known as J35, began carrying her dead calf near the San Juan Islands. The story and images …

Military Jets Scrabbled After Plane Stolen By Suicidal Man

<b>SEATAC, WASHINGTON (AP)–</b> An 29-year-old airline mechanic stole an empty Horizon Air plane from a Seattle airport on Friday evening causing the …

Plane stolen by 'suicidal' employee chased by military jets before crashing near Seattle

Investigators are working to find out how a "suicidal" airline employee stole an empty Horizon Air turboprop plane, took off from Sea-Tac …

Airline Employee Crashes Stolen Plane Near Seattle After Wild Ride

Alaska Airlines said no passengers were on board the plane, which belonged to its affiliate Horizon Air<p>An Alaska Air Group Inc. employee stole a turboprop airliner from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Friday night before crashing it on a nearby island, authorities and the company said.<p>The …

Plane Crashes After "Unauthorized Takeoff" Near Seattle

Officials in Seattle say an airline employee intentionally crashed a plane after an "unauthorized takeoff" from Seattle Airport, Friday night. …

Man steals plane and crashes after chase with fighter planes in Seattle

A 29-year-old suicidal man stole a Horizon Air Q400 plane from Seattle’s international airport for a short, dramatic flight before crashing on a …

Live updates: Passenger plane taken from Seattle-Tacoma Airport, crashes into island

SEATTLE - Officials at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport said an Alaska Airlines plane was taken by an airline employee in an “unauthorized …

Horizon Air worker dead after stealing, crashing plane near Seattle, officials say

A worker at Horizon Air stole one of the airline's planes at Seattle's airport and died when the aircraft crashed on an island in Puget Sound, …

'Rogue employee' steals plane from US airport and crashes on island

<b>Thisis the shocking moment a US F-15 fighter jet gave chase to a hijacked passenger plane before it crashed.</b>Footage captured by witnesses shows …

‘Suicidal’ mechanic crashes plane after stealing it from Seattle’s SeaTac airport

A suicidal mechanic stole a propeller airplane at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport on Friday and crashed it into a nearby island, authorities …