The aircraft was stolen from Plane Cargo 1 at the north end of Sea–Tac Airport[1] and maneuvered to runway 16C via taxiways.[2] Seattle Tower tried several times to get the pilot of the aircraft to identify himself on frequency, but received no response.[5] A nearby Alaska Airlines jet on the ground reported that the aircraft began a takeoff roll with its wheels smoking,[5] and an unauthorized take-off was made at 19:32 local time (02:32 UTC, August 11).[1][7][8][9] In response, two McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagles of the Oregon Air National Guard's 142nd Fighter Wing under the command of NORAD[10] were scrambled at around 20:15 local time[11] from Portland Air National Guard Base to intercept it. Both were armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles[12] and went supersonic, generating sonic booms on the way to the Puget Sound area.[10][13] A KC-135R Stratotanker refueling tanker was also scrambled from Fairchild Air Force Base to support the F-15 flight.[12] Flights in and out of Sea–Tac Airport were temporarily suspended.[7]