Pilot who 'killed his girlfriend' tries to steal a commercial plane, crashes it and then kills himself
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
An airline captain on the run after murdering his girlfriend today stole a passenger jet in an apparent attempt to escape but crashed the aircraft into a terminal building and then shot himself.
Brian Hedglin, 40, went on the rampage in a 50-seat passenger jet at St George airport in Utah days after murdering his girlfriend.
Police say he drove his motorbike to the St George Municipal Airport in Utah and scaled a razor wire fence while the airport was closed, using a rug for protection
He then boarded the 50-passenger SkyWest jet and drove it past a terminal building, clipping the wing, before crashing into cars in a parking lot.
The captain - who worked for Skywest - then shot himself in the cockpit.
The plane was damaged in the crash and will need to be repaired
Disruption: The Utah airport remained closed to commercial traffic as the FBI and the Transportation Security Administration investigated the incident
A police officer making routine rounds noticed the rug over the fence and moments later heard the sound of a plane's engine firing up.
He found the craft idling, boarded it and discovered Hedglin dead, a gunshot wound to his head.
The plane was not in service at the time and had no passengers on board. All commercial flights were cancelled until further notice.
Hedglin was wanted in connection with the death of Christina Cornejo, 39, in Colorado Springs. Her body was found Friday by police doing a welfare check at the request of her family. Her death has been ruled a homicide.
The Gazette of Colorado Springs, citing court records, reported that Hedglin dated Cornejo, for four years and was arrested in March after claims he had been harassing her.
They were both members of the Colorado National Guard. Hedglin had served part-time since 2008 as a chef. He had never deployed.
Cornejo was full-time, having worked for the Guard since 2006, becoming an officer in 2011.
The newspaper said he was free on $10,000 bond when Cornejo was found dead.
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Brian Hedglin: Pilot who 'killed his girlfriend' tries to steal a commercial plane, crashes it and then kills himself | Mail Online