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Theft of plane spurs review of airport security
Associated Press

SEATTLE — The theft of a 76-seat plane from the Seattle airport by a ground crew employee is prompting an industrywide review of how to thwart such insider security threats.

Investigators are continuing to piece together how 3½-year Horizon Air employee Richard Russell stole the empty Bombardier Q400 turboprop Friday and took off on a roughly 75-minute flight, executing steep banks and even a barrel roll while being tailed by fighter jets.

He finally crashed into a forested island south of Seattle.

Russell was killed. No one else was hurt. In a conversation with an air-traffic controller, he described himself as ‘‘just a broken guy’’ but didn’t want to hurt anyone else.

Port of Seattle Commissioner Courtney Gregoire called the theft from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport ‘‘truly a one-in-a-million experience,’’ but added, ‘‘That doesn’t mean we can’t learn from it.’’

She said officials have been in touch with other airports and airlines to begin to assess procedures.

Sea-Tac has added guards in the cargo area where the plane was parked.

Associated Press