Dramatic surveillance camera video shows a Skywest pilot running to a jet that , once set in motion , clips an airport building in last July 's bizarre incident involving pilot Brian J. Hedglin , who stole the plane while being sought on suspicion that he had killed his former girlfriend . Hedglin , 40 , set the empty regional jet in motion on the tarmac of the closed airport , and then killed himself with a gunshot to the head , officials concluded . But investigators were not able to answer several questions that have confounded people since the July 18 incident , including whether Hedglin intended to take off in the plane , and if so , what he intended to do with it . `` The answer to that is 'We 'll never know , ' '' said St. George , Utah , city spokesman Marc Mortensen . Police reports released in recent days , however , leave open the possibility that Hedglin intended to take off in the aircraft . But he may have been foiled when a safety clip on the landing gear was damaged , leaving him unable to steer the plane on the ground . The plane rolled a short distance , its wing clipping the terminal building , before crashing through a fence and ramming into a half-dozen cars . Evidence indicates that while the plane was in motion , Hedglin left the cockpit , entered the cabin and shot himself in the head . Authorities in St. George , Utah , released the surveillance video this week . Had Hedglin gotten the plane aloft at St. George Municipal Airport , the regional jet -- a CRJ 200 -- contained enough fuel to fly for about 50 minutes , according to the police report . A cockpit voice recorder did not provide much information to investigators , the police reports say . The recorder contains only the voices of pilots who flew a previous flight , and sounds of `` some rustling in the cockpit and heaving breathing that is assumed to be Brian Hedglin . '' `` What his ultimate motive is is really unclear , '' Mortensen said . `` I 'm not going to speculate , but obviously he was intending to take the plane off or he was trying to cause as much damage as possible . '' Hedglin had been a pilot with the airline since 2005 . Police who were among the first at the crash site described a bizarre and confusing scene . The plane was tilted forward , its nose gear collapsed . The engines were still screaming and several cars were wedged under and around the wings . The plane 's doors were shut and there was no indication that anyone was on the aircraft . When a firefighter told police that someone was on the plane , officers entered with guns drawn and found Hedglin , wearing a green jump suit , lying in the aisle with a gun near his feet . Police soon learned the identity of the man , and found out that he was a suspect in his former girlfriend 's murder and that he had military experience -- two factors that prompted them to send a bomb squad on a thorough search of the plane . No bomb was found . Hedglin 's former girlfriend , Christina Cornejo , 39 , had been found dead the previous Friday in Colorado Springs . Both Hedglin and Cornejo had served in the Colorado Army National Guard , officials said . Cornejo was found at Hedglin 's residence , but authorities do n't know whether she went there voluntarily or was abducted , Colorado Springs Police spokeswoman Barbara A. Miller told CNN at the time . A coroner said Cornejo died of multiple stab wounds . Hedglin was immediately identified as a suspect . `` Detectives went so far as to contact SkyWest and have them deactivate Mr. Hedglin 's access cards in the event he showed up there , '' police said . Hedglin 's motorcycle was found outside the St. George airport , and authorities say they believe he used a rug to climb over the airport 's barbed wire fence . The FBI declined any update on the investigation . `` Although the FBI responded to the incident in St. George this past summer , at this point we are not making any further comments on the matter , '' said spokeswoman Debbie Bertram .
Skywest pilot John Patrick Murphy set an empty passenger jet in motion , crashing it . Police found him dead in the plane , a gun at his head . ` ` What his ultimate motive is is really unclear , '' a Prince George , Utah , spokesman said .