Plane stolen by suicidal employee crashes...

[LesClaypool]

This sounds like a movie. What a crazy story.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/airline-reports-stolen-aircraft-witnesses-report-chase-043747539.html

Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said the man "did something foolish and may well have paid with his life."

The man could be heard on audio recordings telling air traffic controllers that he is "just a broken guy."

An air traffic controller called the man "Rich," and tried to convince the man to land the airplane.

"There is a runway just off to your right side in about a mile," the controller says, referring to an airfield at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

"Oh man. Those guys will rough me up if I try and land there," the man responded, later adding "This is probably jail time for life, huh?"

Later the man said: "I've got a lot of people that care about me. It's going to disappoint them to hear that I did this...Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess."

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

That’s crazy! A Q400 is not a small plane.

 

[SeaPA]

I'm goin out, in a blaze of glory....

 

[LesClaypool]

That’s crazy! A Q400 is not a small plane.

To your point...

 

[noleclone2]

Makes you wonder if they shot him down before he got back over populated area. Right choice if they did.

 

[riseboi]

Dang, I fly to Seattle on Wednesday. Hopefully, no one else was hurt.

 

[Imtotallynottribe]

 

[Imtotallynottribe]

 

[Imtotallynottribe]

 

[LesClaypool]

What a bizarre episode.

And how ominous is that fighter jet appearing near the end of the first video?

 

[Imtotallynottribe]

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Wow, he did a loop and everything

 

[noleclone2]

Wow, he did a loop and everything

That was amazing. Looked like for sure he was going to hit water

 

[12Nole]

View embedded media

 

[F4Gary]

Not a loop. He did an aileron roll and almost hit the water. You don't roll an airplane like that from a nose level attitude.

 

[12Nole]

Not a loop. He did an aileron roll and almost hit the water. You don't roll an airplane like that from a nose level attitude.

I'll take your word for it that you don't roll a plane like that, but he did as a mechanic, and did so successfully which makes even more impressive.

 

[F4Gary]

I didn't say you can't roll and airplane like that. I've rolled corporate jets and in the simulator,I've rolled most of the airliners I've flown. Boeing's test pilot rolled the B-707. This mechanic didn't really know what he was doing, he just went full right on the yoke and had to pull out of the dive 90 degrees off his heading because he screwed it up. He got lucky and had enough altitude to pull out just above the water. No skill involved.

Not jumping on you, just clarifying what I meant.

 

[montconole]

Saw this on Twitter as it happened so I listened to the ATC until they cut the feed.

He was calm as hell and told them he never flew a plane but did fly a lot when playing video games.

 

[FreeFlyNole]

Here are worse ways to die.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

How does someone just hop in a plane, turn it on, pull onto a taxiway and then runway at a major airport?
Do planes have keys?
Why didn't ATC have the po-po stop this plane before giving it a spot in the line for takeoff?

Either way, impressive flight by this guy, glad no one else was hurt.

 

[amicusnole]

"I think I'm going to try and do a barrel roll, and if that goes good, I'll just go nose down and call it a night." This dude is my hero.

 

[seminole97]

How does someone just hop in a plane, turn it on, pull onto a taxiway and then runway at a major airport?
Do planes have keys?

No keys to start it. Just need to be able to get inside, and as a member of the ground crew he'd have lots of opportunities for that.

Why didn't ATC have the po-po stop this plane before giving it a spot in the line for takeoff?

How long it would take him to taxi the plane is much, much less than it would take to have a cop show up.
All ATC can do is say, "Stop, or I'll say stop again!"

 

[phideltflg]

So the wife and I go to one of our favorite restaurants in Honolulu for oysters and they are sold out because of this dude. They fly them in fresh daily from Seattle and the most recent flight had to be cancelled. Bummer.

 

[LesClaypool]

Well at least you’re focused on what’s important.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

No keys to start it. Just need to be able to get inside, and as a member of the ground crew he'd have lots of opportunities for that.



How long it would take him to taxi the plane is much, much less than it would take to have a cop show up.
All ATC can do is say, "Stop, or I'll say stop again!"

Couldn't ATC just not move the aircraft in front of this guy's plane? It would delay some flights but at risk of avoiding a terrorist attack at worst or a suicide stunt pilot at best, seems worth it.

And there are ambulances / cops stationed on the tarmac I believe, esp at a large international airport like SeaTac. So might take them like 3 mins to find this jet and get in its way.

I know I'm over simplifying things but can't help but wonder how they let this guy go through the taxi and take off process at a major American airport.

Dude could have had a completely different agenda and flown right into the Amazon or Microsoft complex, which would have a huge impact on our economy. Or starbucks, heaven forbid the American workforce not be properly caffeinated.

 

[F4Gary]

Couldn't ATC just not move the aircraft in front of this guy's plane? It would delay some flights but at risk of avoiding a terrorist attack at worst or a suicide stunt pilot at best, seems worth it.

And there are ambulances / cops stationed on the tarmac I believe, esp at a large international airport like SeaTac. So might take them like 3 mins to find this jet and get in its way.

I know I'm over simplifying things but can't help but wonder how they let this guy go through the taxi and take off process at a major American airport.

Dude could have had a completely different agenda and flown right into the Amazon or Microsoft complex, which would have a huge impact on our economy. Or starbucks, heaven forbid the American workforce not be properly caffeinated.

Yes, you are over simplifying it. The fire trucks are at the fire station on the perimeter of the airport and the cops are usually in the terminals or patrolling those secure areas.
This guy started an airplane in a remote maintenance area. It's not hard, turn on the battery/master switch and push the engine start buttons.
A quick taxi before the tower could see what was happening as they are pretty busy with what they have to do and he is on and rolling down the runway.

 

[OrlandNole]

This guy started an airplane in a remote maintenance area. It's not hard, turn on the battery/master switch and push the engine start buttons.

Seems to me an easy fix is to require a key or code to start the engines.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

Yes, you are over simplifying it. The fire trucks are at the fire station on the perimeter of the airport and the cops are usually in the terminals or patrolling those secure areas.
This guy started an airplane in a remote maintenance area. It's not hard, turn on the battery/master switch and push the engine start buttons.
A quick taxi before the tower could see what was happening as they are pretty busy with what they have to do and he is on and rolling down the runway.

Well that sucks.
Guess we should just be glad this guy wasn't pissed his Prime deliver came a day late or that he was got the blue screen one too many times.

 

[F4Gary]

Seems to me an easy fix is to require a key or code to start the engines.

The logistics of that would be a nightmare.

 

[F4Gary]

Well that sucks.
Guess we should just be glad this guy wasn't pissed his Prime deliver came a day late or that he was got the blue screen one too many times.

I wonder how much of a disruption either of those would actually be. There are Amazon fulfillment centers all over the country, and when you need a Microsoft fix you end up talking to someone in India, not Seattle.

 

[OrlandNole]

The logistics of that would be a nightmare.

Yeah, it would be impossible to implement a vehicle key ignition system on a mass scale...

 

[F4Gary]

Where are you going to keep the key to each airplane? You have no idea how an airline works behind the scenes.
Sorry folks, your flight is cancelled. We lost the key and can't find a locksmith open on Sunday.
The pilots for AA at DFW check in for their flights at 4 different terminals. Where are you going to keep the key?
Besides, this guy towed aircraft, so he would have had access to the key or code.

 

[1handsomenole]

…"Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess"

What an epitaph

 

[ReliableOstrich]

I wonder how much of a disruption either of those would actually be. There are Amazon fulfillment centers all over the country, and when you need a Microsoft fix you end up talking to someone in India, not Seattle.

Right on. Seems like an odd place to use humor as a defense mechanism.

 

[OrlandNole]

Where are you going to keep the key to each airplane? You have no idea how an airline works behind the scenes.
Sorry folks, your flight is cancelled. We lost the key and can't find a locksmith open on Sunday.
The pilots for AA at DFW check in for their flights at 4 different terminals. Where are you going to keep the key?
Besides, this guy towed aircraft, so he would have had access to the key or code.

Hide a spare in the wheel housing. C'mon man.

 

[F4Gary]

Hide a spare in the wheel housing. C'mon man.

Crap, I forgot about the hide-a-key.

 

[TarponSpringsNole]

Definitely an epic way to go out.

I haven’t listened to the audio, and even though it’s riddled with humor, I find it a quite sad affair.

 

[TennNole17]

My work laptop has more security than a friggin plane? Geeze.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Gotta make it convenient because apparently pilots can’t remember where they put their keys.

 

[F4Gary]

Gotta make it convenient because apparently pilots can’t remember where they put their keys.

Funny note, before we had the hardened cockpit doors (pre 9/11) it was just a key to open the door knob.
Every door on every airliner in the US used the same key.

It could be dead bolted from the inside though, and was for flight.