The ground service agent, referred to as ‘Rich’ and ‘Richard’ by air traffic controllers, was born in Key West, Florida and moved to Alaska as a child. He was an employee of Horizon Airlines

He “conducted unauthorized takeoff” of an airplane carrying no passengers, then “crashed in south Puget Sound,” Sea-Tac Airport officials said on Twitter.

The stolen plane was a twin engine turboprop Q400 airplane belonging to its sister carrier Horizon Air, Alaska Airlines said on Twitter. It normally carries 76 passengers.

“This is not a terrorist incident,” Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff’s office wrote on Twitter.

“Confirmed info… this is a single suicide male. We know who he is. No others involved,” Troyer wrote The suspect was identified as a 29-year-old airline mechanic and Pierce county resident who “acted alone,” Troyer added, confirming that there were “no passengers on the plane” when it crashed.

The sheriff’s office also said that the F-15s, which were scrambled out of Portland, in the nearby state of Oregon, arrived minutes after the plane was stolen and kept the aircraft “out of harms way and people on ground safe.” Horizon Air CEO Constance Van Muehlen issued a video statement describing the incident.

“We believe it (the plane) was taken by a single Horizon Air employee and no other passengers or crew were on board,” she said. “Our hearts are with the family of the individual aboard as well as all of our Alaska Air and Horizon Air employees.”

John Waldron, who took dramatic video of the stolen plane flying in a loop, told CNN that he was out for an evening stroll when he saw the two jet fighters following the turboprop airplane.

His first thought was that they were practicing for an air show. “So, I started to capture video, just because I thought it was, kind of bizarre,” he told CNN.

Waldron said it seemed that the jets were chasing down the airplane. “I thought this is really odd. Kept the video rolling.” Then the passenger plane pilot “did a complete loop … I couldn’t believe he recovered.” He estimates that the plane at its lowest point “was no less than 100 feet (30.5 meters) above the water.” Then the pilot “pulled — pretty much straight up. And kind of at an angle. And almost stalled the aircraft. Somehow he got it leveled back off. And then made his way down toward the island.” Waldron said that he was prepared to “run and take cover.” He briefly turned away, then turned back and saw the explosion as the plane crashed.

“Saw a bright, pinpoint area of flame. And the smoke. I thought, oh, my god. I think he just crashed.”

One report said the man joked with traffic controllers during the short flight as F15s chased him that he was going to jail.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter the crash may have been caused by the mechanic “doing stunts in air or lack of flying skills.”

It said the F15 fighter planes “made it within a few minutes of theft of plane. Pilots kept plane out of harms way and people othe n ground safe.”

 Richard Russell

Richard Russell, a ground service agent at Sea-Tac International Airport, took off in an empty 76-seater plane at the height of rush hour on Friday evening.

Mr Russell was not named by authorities, but relatives and co-workers identified the 29-year-old, who went by the name Beebo, as the man behind the hijacking.

“He was a faithful husband, a loving son, and a good friend,” the Russell family said in a statement.

“A childhood friend remarked that Beebo was loved by everyone because he was kind and gentle to each person he met.

“This is a complete shock to us,” they said in a statement read by a friend. “We are devastated by these events, and Jesus is truly the only one holding this family together right now. Without him, we would be hopeless.”

“As the voice recordings show, Beebo’s intent was not to harm anyone. He was right in saying that there are so many people who have loved him,” they said.

Rick Christenson, a former operational supervisor with Horizon Air, told The Seattle Times: “He was a quiet guy. It seemed like he was well liked by the other workers.

“I feel really bad for Richard and for his family. I hope they can make it through this.”

“I’ve got a lot of people that care about me,” he told air traffic controllers. “It’s going to disappoint them to hear that I did this.”

Source: News.com.Au