FBI and National Transportation Safety Board investigators plan to visit the crash site of a stolen Horizon Air passenger plane on Ketron Island near Steilacoom.
Horizon Air said a ground services employee boarded the plane at about 8 p.m. Friday [August 10, 2018] night and took off from Sea-Tac Airport. No passengers were on the plane.
Two F-15 jets were scrambled from the 142nd fighter squadron in Portland. As those jets closed on the Horizon turboprop about an hour into the flight, it nose dived and crashed.
During the hour-long flight, the plane turned upside down and dove toward Puget Sound as horrified witnesses watched from the ground. The plane pulled up just above the water. (KOMO 4 News, August 11, 2018)
A 29-year-old Horizon employee who stole an empty plane from Sea-Tac Airport communicated with air traffic control before crashing on Ketron Island in Pierce County, WA. Cockpit audio was posted to the King 5 News web-site, August 11, 2018.
--
Based on the radio traffic between the stolen aircraft an the tower at SeaTac some have suggested that the person who stole the plane was suicidal or at least mentally unstable. Perhaps he was, we don't really know and may never know for sure.
But if he was suffering from a mental or emotional problem, the chances that he would have been able to receive counseling and help as his problems progressed is slim. Working on a flight line at an airport is a job that requires government clearance (background checks and such).
While seeking help should never be an issue, it almost always is. Counseling and treatment for mental / emotional concerns is too often NOT AVAILABLE for those who need it.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.