On August 10, 2018 an Alaska Airlines employee was involved in the unauthorized takeoff of a Horizon Air Q400 aircraft from Sea-Tac airport. The aircraft later went down on Ketron Island in Peirce County. I was one of the first communications staff onsite to manage the initial internal and external response and supported crisis communications in the following days and weeks. Below is a timeline of the events with the initial statements posted to the external company blog.