Airline employee allegedly steals plane, takes off, then crashes

An airline employee who worked on the ground stole a plane at Seattle-Tacoma Airport (SeaTac), took off and then later crashed, SeaTac airportsaid. It’s believed the employee was the only one on board, CBS News transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave reports. 

The plane crashed on Ketorn Island outside Seattle. It’s a small island with about two dozen residents.  

According to the Pierce County Sheriff, preliminary information indicated a mechanic from unknown airlines stole the plane. The Pierce County Sheriff tweeted the person was “doing stunts in air or lack of flying skills caused crash into Island.”

The plane belonged to Horizon Air, which is owned by Alaska Airlines. In a statement, Alaska Airlines said they are “aware of an incident involving an unauthorized take-off of a Horizon Air Q400.” 

CBS Seattle affiliate KIRO-TV reporter Gary Horcher tweeted that all planes at SeaTac were grounded. As of 12:30 a.m., SeaTac tweeted that normal operations had resumed.

This is a breaking story. It will be updated.