A Horizon Air plane has been reported stolen in Seattle on Friday evening, the airline tweeted on Friday.

The Seattle airport says an employee stole the plane and crashed it on south Puget Sound. That is south of Seattle on Ketron Island.

Normal operations of the airport have continued.

Horizon Air is part of Alaska Air Group and flies shorter routes throughout the U.S. West.

The airline tells The Associated Press that the plane was a Horizon Air Q400 and it believed no passengers were on board.

Preliminary information suggests that the mechanic stole the plane and the crash occurred because the person was “doing stunts in air or lack of flying skills,” the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said on Twitter.

The plane was chased by military aircraft, witnesses said.

Sea-Tac officials said the airline employee had “conducted an unauthorized takeoff without passengers.”

The U.S. Coast Guard was sending a 45-foot vessel to the crash scene after witnesses reported seeing a large plume of smoke in the air, Petty Officer Ali Flockerzi said.

No passengers are on board the plane.

Stay with KRON4 for updates on this breaking news story on-air, online, and on the KRON4 app.

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