An airline captain who entered a small Utah airport early and damaged a SkyWest Airlines jetliner, a terminal building and some parked vehicles had been sought by authorities in the death of his girlfriend. Click below to find out more.
Brian Joseph Hedglin, 40, of Colorado Springs, Colo., fatally shot himself while aboard the SkyWest aircraft, the St. George, Utah, Police Department said on its Facebook page today.
SkyWest confirmed today that the suspect had been an employee of the company but was on administrative leave.
A Federal Aviation Agency database confirmed that Hedglin was certified to fly commercially as a captain.
Hedglin drove his motorcycle to St. George Municipal Airport, hopped a fence at 12:30 a.m. M.T. and then boarded the SkyWest aircraft, according to authorities.
A source with the airline told ABC News that after starting the engines of a 50-seat regional jetliner, Hedglin clipped the wing of another aircraft and crashed through a fence as he taxied the plane. It wasn’t clear whether the plane ever got off the ground.
Hedglin had been named a suspect in the slaying of 39-year-old girlfriend Christina Lopez Cornejo, according to ABC News affiliate KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs. The two were members of the Colorado National Guard.
Her body was found Friday at a home in Colorado Springs, Colo. KRDO-TV said that court records showed Hedglin faced charges after being arrested in a domestic disturbance involving Cornejo several months ago.
St. George police said it was now working with Colorado Springs authorities to “complete” the investigation.
Federal, local and airport authorities continued to investigate the airport incident today.
“The FBI is on scene at St. George Airport, along with St. George PD and TSA. We are conducting a joint investigation. We are still gathering facts, but it is important to note there is no ongoing public safety issue and the scene is under the control of law enforcement,” the FBI in Salt Lake City said in a statement earlier today.
