F-15 fighter jets pursued the hijacked airplane before it crashes in Seattle

On 10 August, the 29-year-old mechanic at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport stole a Horizon Air 76-seat passenger airplane.

The aircraft took off and began manoeuvering over Puget Sound. F-15 fighter jets were sent from Portland to control the situation and, if necessary to intercept it.

According to the mercurynews.com, witnesses reported seeing the Bombardier Q400, a turboprop aircraft, perform a loop-the-loop and nearly slam into Chambers Bay, all while being pursued by fighter jets. The aircraft then crashed into Ketron Island, 40 km to the southwest of the Seattle/Tacoma Airport.

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No passengers were on board and there were no reports of injuries on the ground.

Royal King told The Seattle Times he was photographing a wedding when he saw the low-flying turboprop being chased by to F-15s. He said he didn’t see the crash but saw smoke.

‘It was unfathomable, it was something out of a movie,’ he told the newspaper. ‘The smoke lingered. You could still hear the F-15s, which were flying low.’

Two F-15 fighter jets scrambled from Portland ‘minutes later’ to intercept it, according to Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. Pictured is the hijacked plane, top, and one of the F-15s beneath it

Sheriff’s department spokesman Ed Troyer also confirmed that two U.S. Air Force F-15s intercepted the plane within minutes of its departure from Sea-Tac, but they were not involved in its crash near Ketron Island.

Two F-15 fighter jets supposedly from the 142nd Fighter Wing, Portland Air National Guard Base, Portland were “not involved in (the) crash,” the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office tweeted Friday.

The Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 crashed into Ketron Island south of Tacoma, the sheriff’s office said.

“Preliminary info is that a mechanic from unknown airlines stole plane. Was doing stunts in air or lack of flying skills (that) caused crash into Island,” the sheriff’s office said.

Video by Cameron Thomsen

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About author:

Dylan Malyasov
Dylan Malyasov
Dylan Malyasov is the editor-in-chief of Defence Blog. He is a journalist, an accredited defense advisor, and a consultant. His background as a defense advisor and consultant adds a unique perspective to his journalistic endeavors, ensuring that his reporting is well-informed and authoritative. read more

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