Pilot shoots himself dead after stealing aircraft
A US commercial pilot suspected of killing his girlfried broke into an airport, stole a plane which he was unable to control and shot himself dead in the aircraft, officials have said.
The Colorada Springs Gazette said Brian Joseph Hedglin was on adminsitrative leave since Cristina Cornejo was found stabbed to death on Friday in the town.
Hedglin, a SkyWest pilot, was a suspect but he had not been formally charged.
A police officer patrolling St George Municiapl Airport in Utah entered the terminal to investigate after he found an abandoned motorbike near the perimeter fence.
He saw the aircraft, a Bombadier CRJ-200 with several wrecked cars around it, entered and found Hedglin dead of an apparently self-inflicted gun-shot to the head
The SkyWest jet was a small aircraft used in regional flights. Local authorities say that SkyWest had deactivated the pilot’s access cards as soon as police contacted them. Hedglin, however, got into the airport by scaling a perimeter fence using a rug.
The incident has raised red flags for America’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and for the FBI, both of whom are investigating the incident.
In a statement sent to TravelMole, the TSA said: "Airport perimeter security is an airport responsibility. The unique footprint, location and requirements of each airport require each facility to have its own airport security program (ASP) that is approved by TSA.
"Each ASP incorporates specific security elements including perimeter security measures, addressing the prevention and detection of the unauthorized entry, presence and movement of individuals and vehicles into and within secured areas and airport operations areas.
"TSA regulates each airport’s compliance with their individual security plan and conducts comprehensive airport inspections to enhance security and mitigate risk associated with perimeter integrity."
The TSA also told TravelMole it is still currently reviewing perimeter compliance at Saint George Municipal Airport.
by Gretchen Kelly, TravelMole US
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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