Man breached Missoula airport security, tried to steal plane

MISSOULA — A routine landing at the Missoula airport on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, turned into chaos after a man ran through TSA checkpoints, down a jetway and then tried to gain access to the cockpit of an Alaska Airlines plane.

Justin Seymour is facing felony burglary and aggravated burglary charges following the incident.

Missoula County Detention Center

An airport security guard heard a TSA agent shout “Stop” and “Violation, violation, violation.”

Court documents say Seymour ran through a security checkpoint, down the jetway of the plane that had just landed, and then tried to enter the plane’s cockpit.

Employees, some of whom were injured by Seymour, blocked him.

Law enforcement quickly detained Seymour, who said he needed to go to Estonia and thought learning to fly a plane wasn’t that difficult.

Despite the drama, airport officials managed to quickly bring the situation under control.

“Our public safety was there within probably 60 or 90 seconds, that person was handcuffed and taken off the plane,” airport manager Brian Ellestad said.

Ellestad said the plane was delayed for more than three hours after the incident.

Seymour will receive $500,000 for each crime he faces in the Missoula jail.