Investigators Find Human Remains, More Clues At Crash Site Of Stolen Plane

Alaska Airlines planes are pictured at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport the day after Horizon Air ground crew member Richard Russell took a plane from the airport in Seattle, Washington on August 11, 2018.

Investigators have found the flight data and voice recorders at the crash site of a Bombardier Q400 commercial jet that was stolen from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport last week. Officials also found human remains belonging to Richard Russell, the Horizon Air employee who stole the plane and crashed it on a small island in the Puget Sound. 

Authorities are hoping to learn what caused the plane to go down. In conversations with air traffic controllers, Russell voiced concerns that he was quickly burning through fuel, while videos recorded by people on the ground showed the plane flying erratically, doing loops and flying upside down. Investigators are hoping the data is able to shed light on if the pilot's actions, the low fuel, or both factored into the crash.

Investigators are also trying to piece together how an airport employee managed to steal a commercial jet from a major international airport. They said he used a tractor to move the jet onto the runway and was able to start the plane, which did not need a key rather it only required pressing a series of buttons in the correct order. 

Photo: Getty Images


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