The White House commended “the swift action and protection of public safety” of public agencies in the response to a stolen plane at Seattle-Tacoma Airport.
An airline employee, a 29-year-old ground service agent, took off in a Horizon Air turboprop plane Friday evening without any other passengers aboard.
“The President has been briefed on the incident involving a stolen plane from Sea-Tac Airport in Seattle and is monitoring the situation as information becomes available,” press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. “Federal authorities are assisting with the ongoing investigation which is being led by local authorities. We commend the interagency response effort for their swift action and protection of public safety.”
According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, the employee was “doing stunts in (the) air” as he flew the aircraft for approximately an hour. The plane ultimately crashed at Ketron Island and the employee was subsequently killed.
The FBI determined that the incident was not an act of terror.
