At around 8:15pm in Seattle, several F-15Cs—tactical fighter aircraft—were sent on an over-land emergency scramble to intercept a low-flying aircraft. Just minutes ago, a Q400 belonging to Horizon Air had been stolen out of the Seattle International Airport.
The sun was slowly setting behind the Puget Sound. It must have been a wondrous sight for those who looked towards the sky at that time. For the Q400 flight, minutes after it took off from the airport, was seen diving, looping and rolling over the waters of Puget Sound. Then came the jets. Needless to say, the flight did not end well.
The Q400 soon crashed into the waters, just near the island. But the jets were not involved in bringing it down.
There were no passengers onboard, except for the man who was flying the aircraft.
Initial speculation was that a "mechanic" stole the plane and that his "lack of flying skills" caused the crash. But later the Pierce County Sheriff's department, tweeted that the man was 29 years old and that he had acted alone. The police also said that he was "confirmed a suicidal male". And, it was important to note that this was "not a terrorist incident".
People who were in the area posted videos of the aircraft doing acrobatic stunts in the air. They saw the flight being chased by the F-15Cs. They also witnessed the flight's plunge as it crashed into the waters.
Nobody seems to know who the pilot is. Even now, authorities do not seem to have released any details that they have about the "suicidal man". But, netizens are resourceful and have dug up audio recordings of the man on his last flight.
The audio recordings are an eye opener. There is no menace or aggression. Just the voice of a seemingly normal 29-year-old man, who is about to end his life. He is surprised by how fast the fuel is burning. And jokes about the prospect of going to jail.
"I've got a lot of people that care about me. It's going to disappoint them to hear that I did this," he tells the air traffic controller. "Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose I guess. Never really knew it, until now," he goes on to say. He appeals to all the people that he loves and cares about to forgive him for his actions. For more audio, check out @jwsthomson tweets.
Did he do it on purpose? That question will be answered much later, as the world learns more about him and his life.