Man who stole plane said he was a ‘broken guy’

An airline mechanic who stole a Horizon Air plane from a Seattle airport told air traffic controllers that he was a “broken guy” but also joked about whether the airline would hire him as a pilot if he landed safely.

The man, who was addressed as “Rich” in audio recordings with air traffic controllers, said he didn’t want to land at a nearby military base.

He told them, “Those guys will rough me up if I try and land there.” During another part of the exchange, the man said he was concerned he was going to run low on fuel.

Later, he said he’s “got a lot of people that care about me.” He said he didn’t want to disappoint them but that he was “just a broken guy, got a dew screws loose, I guess.”

Sheriff’s officials say a man who stole an Alaska Airlines plane from an airport in Washington state was “suicidal” and there is no connection to terrorism.

Ed Troyer, a spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, says on Twitter Friday night that a 29-year-old airline mechanic stole the Horizon Air Q400 from Sea-Tac International Airport.

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Witnesses reported seeing the plane being chased by military aircraft before it crashed near Ketron Island. There were no passengers aboard.

The sheriff’s department said they were working to conduct a background investigation on the man, whose name was not immediately released.

The man could be heard on audio recordings telling air traffic controllers that he’s “got a lot of people that care about me” and that he is “just a broken guy.”