Helicopters and airplanes fly around Ketron Island in south Puget Sound where a plane crashed after an unauthorized takeoff from Sea-Tac Airport.
Authorities have recovered human remains as well as a flight-data recorder among the wreckage of a stolen airplane on Ketron Island.
The FBI says it also found pieces of the cockpit voice recorder from the Horizon plane, which was taken Friday from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and flown for nearly an hour before crashing into a forest.
Richard “Beebo” Russell, 29, of Sumner, has been identified as the man who stole the plane. He was the only person on board.
Russell worked as a ground agent for Horizon Air since 2015 with tasks including handling baggage, tidying airplanes and operating tow vehicles to move aircraft.
He used a tow vehicle to rotate the 76-passenger plane 180 degrees on the tarmac before climbing into the cockpit, taxiing to a runway and taking off, Alaska Air executives said.
The plane lifted off at 7:32 p.m. and air-traffic controllers lost contact with it at 8:47 p.m.
During the nearly hour-long flight, Russell was able to perform acrobatic stunts as two fighter jets flew alongside him.
Russell also talked about his loved ones with air-traffic controllers while he was airborne Friday, according to a recording posted to Broadcastify.
“I would like to apologize to each and every one of them,” he said. “Just a broken guy. Got a few screws loose. Never knew it until now.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is analyzing the voice recorder and flight data recorder.
Investigators have not determined whether the crash was accidental or deliberate.
