The theft of an empty plane from Sea-Tac Airport highlights one of the biggest potential perils for commercial air travel — airline or airport employees causing mayhem

Associated Press/Elaine Thompson

• Richard Russell, an airline ground agent at Sea-Tac International Airport, stole an empty Horizon Air turboprop plane and fatally crashed into a small island on Friday night. 
• Officials said Saturday that the 29-year-old was a 3.5-year Horizon employee and had clearance to be among aircraft, but that to their knowledge, he wasn't a licensed pilot.
• At a news conference on Saturday, officials from Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air said they are working with authorities to investigate what happened.
• The incident highlights one of the biggest potential perils for commercial air travel: airline or airport employees causing mayhem. 

The theft of an empty turboprop plane by an airline worker at Sea-Tac International Airport who performed dangerous loops before crashing into a remote island in Puget Sound illustrated what aviation experts have long known: One of the biggest potential perils for commercial air travel is airline or airport employees causing mayhem.

Investigators are piecing together how the airline ground agent working his regular shift stole an empty Horizon Air turboprop plane, took off Friday night from Sea-Tac and fatally crashed into the a small island after being chased by military jets that were quickly scrambled.See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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SEE ALSO: The man who stole a plane from Sea-Tac Airport and crashed it has reportedly been identified as 29-year-old Richard Russell

DON'T MISS: Authorities say the 29-year-old 'suicidal male' who stole a plane at Seattle-Tacoma Airport and later crashed it had full security clearance