Hearing a diagnosis would comfort them somehow. The fire burned a 2-acre (0.8ha) area,[23] but was extinguished by the following morning. I don't want to. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. [9], On August 11th, 2018, journalist Jimmy Tomson tweeted out a series of audio clips in which Russell can be heard talking to an air traffic controller (shown below).[3]. Russell said on the aviation audio, This is probably jail time for life, huh? Richard Russell plane crash video was released. On Instagram, Hannah Russell posted recent photos with Rich. He could have envisioned an aerial joyride and return to the ground. Filed under Maybe that will grease some gears a little bit with the higher-ups. Known as Beebo to family and friends, Russell was in his youth a gregarious, outgoing star athlete at Wasilla High School in Alaska, according to The Anchorage Daily News, running track and wrestling. [40] He was a hard-hitting football fullback in high school, scoring six touchdowns in his senior year, after which he moved to North Dakota to join the football team at Valley City State University. No one else is thought to have been injured or killed, and the fighter jets did not fire on him, authorities said. Family Left Heartbroken After Airline Worker Steals and Crashes Plane. SeaTac airport., Morgan Chesky, a reporter for KOMO News, wrote, Per JBLM source: After being contacted by F-15s, stolen plane began to nose dive, crashing in north Pierce County., NTSB investigator Debra Eckrote held a Saturday morning press conference, the day after the crash, and indicated that investigators are trying to determine what his process was and where the aircraft was going. She identified Rich as ground support so, you know, they have access to aircraft, and described it as lucky that the plane crashed on a very underpopulated island.. The video starts with images of what its like to work as a baggage handler for an airline, sometimes in the rainy weather. The incident spawned numerous image macros, photoshops and fan arts on 4chan and other online communities. Weird times., CBS News reporter Kris Van Cleave wrote, FAA sources say it appears an airline employee stole a Horizon Air Turbo Prop from SeaTac and took off and crashed Ketron Island outside Seattle. He shared a tweet from a woman named Victoria, who wrote, Sitting on a plane at SeaTac Airport, a Horizon employee just hijacked an airplane. You can listen to more archived aviation audio on the incident here, some of which captures the mans voice: The site Airline Geeks.com reported, Reports saying that two F-15s have intercepted an Alaska Air Q400, operated by Horizon Air., The Twitter page Royal S. King wrote, On a lake in Tacoma and 2 F-15 have intercepted at @AlaskaAir Q400 south of @SeaTacAirport. Another man wrote, @flytruenorth Are you following this story? "Sky King" is a nickname given to 29-year-old ground service operator Richard Russell after he stole a Horizon Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 airliner from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) and died after crashing on Ketron Island in Puget Sound. So many bags, he said. After 29-year-old airline employee Richard B. Russell stole a plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Friday night and crashed it into Ketron Island in Puget Sound, questions remain about why and how he undertook the ultimately fatal flight. The fighter jets were scrambled from Portland. Rich, you said you had 2100 pounds of fuel left? the controller responded. Russell was well-liked by his co-workers, according to The Seattle Times. RIP Sky King, a user wrote. We believe there are no passengers on board. On Facebook, he had liked the Republican Party and conservative personalities like Sean Hannity and Ben Shapiro. Tower, you need to call and scramble now, one pilot warned, according to the video. The libs are trying to solve the housing crisis in deep blue areas by having teachers live with their students. Thanks for contacting us. The final descent at Ketron Island was determined to be intentional, and suicide was listed as the manner of death. Audio starts with another aircraft reporting the Q400 exiting the maintenance/cargo area and taking off without clearance. On August 10, 2018, a Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 was stolen from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) in Seattle, Washington. Hello, Love. Russells social media accounts have become funeral guestbooks, digitized for the world. People expressed an emotional connection with him through postings on social media, T-shirts, and tribute songs. Russell flew wild loops over Puget Sound, screamed low over frightened onlookers and had existential and, at turns, bizarre chats with air traffic controllers as two Air Force F-15 jets gave chase. Never actually wanted to hurt anyone. Tulepo Police Chief John Quaka told CNN that Patterson had "some flight instruction" but was still in training. Patch confirmed there was a security incident underway at SeaTac. His performance there was a disappointment; he left for Southwestern Oregon Community College, where he met his wife at a Campus Crusade for Christ meeting. The crisis has engulfed the West as a whole. Literally Media Ltd. Its gonna be crazy, he said at one point in air traffic control transmissions. When I arrived, he was in the kitchen, in the middle of his Sunday morning ritual of cleaning his cleaning supplies. I just want you to whisper sweet nothings into my ear, said Rich, who claimed he could fly the plane because he played video games. What now? My names Richard Russell, Im 27 and currently living in Sumner, WA with my incredible wife Hannah. The chilling footage of his final moments next shows Russell jumping onto the plane and presumably getting into the cockpit. Reviewed by Ekua Hagan. It was a strange day when Horizon Airlines Employee Richard "Beebo" Russell stole a plane in the middle of his working shift. This story has been shared 176,044 times. [31][32] On August 12, the FBI said that it had recovered the flight data recorder along with components of the cockpit voice recorder. He grins in selfies at work. She posted a series of selfies showing the couple on various adventures. "[16][19] He added that he "wasn't really planning on landing it. First, it would provide a simple explanation that makes the incomprehensible seem comprehensible. To download the mp3, right-click here and choose "save link as" or "save target as." Around 9 PM Pacific Time on August 10th, 2018, a 29-year-old man named Richard Russell, stole a Q400 airplane from Seattle Tacoma International Airport and went for a joyride [] Its burned quite a bit faster than I expected., He also said, Im gonna land it, in a safe kind of manner. Everything is shutdown rn pic.twitter.com/AzebdIa3tP, City King (@CityKing_Gank_) September 3, 2022. My names Richard Russell, Im 27 and currently living in Sumner, WA with my incredible wife Hannah. As part of his job, Patterson was responsible for fuelling the aircraft. In one blog, he describedaspirations to land a management job or join the military. This is not a terrorist incident. Richard Russell, 29, hijacked a 76-seater plane from Seattle-Tacoma on Friday. Beebo was loved by everyone because he was kind and gentle to each person he met. Knowing what you value will help you build the most meaningful life possible. According to Eckrote, the plane is highly fragmented and she said that a background investigation is underway to further clarify Richs motive. Its burned quite a bit faster than I expected., He also said, Im gonna land it, in a safe kind of manner. At one point, he explained that he did not know how to follow instructions to punch in data or how to assess his fuel consumption after takeoff. We consider ourselves bakery connoisseurs and have to try a new one every place we go. Not entirely sure whats happening. Rich, you said you had 2100 pounds of fuel left? the controller responded. It may seem difficult for those watching at home to believe, but Beebo was a warm, compassionate man, the statement read. The man who stole a commercial aeroplane in Seattle, and took his life by crashing it, has become a folk hero to neo-Nazi groups and incels, drafted into a poisonous delusion that is becoming mainstream. The incident came to a tragic end when Russell intentionally crashed the plane into Ketron Island in Puget Sound, killing him. Sea-Tac Airport (@SeaTacAirport) August 11, 2018. Periodically, his voice cut into the dispatches. Someone sneak on board?, A man named Tyler Lucas wrote, Sitting on the runway at SeaTac, preparing for departure. It is impossible to encompass who he was in a press release. Commercial aircraft are complex machines, he said. Holy smokes, Ive got to stop looking at the fuel because its going down quick.. Never really knew it, until now., While Lawnchair Larry was mostly a figure of fun in our popular culture, many people responded to Rich Russells flight with a level of compassion unfamiliar in our social media age. We are aware of an incident involving an unauthorized take-off of a Horizon Air Q400. Although investigators received information regarding Russell's background, possible stressors, and personal life, no element provided a clear motivation for Russell's actions. Why did I do it? The incident spawned numerous image macros, photoshops and fan arts on 4chan . In another moment, Russell said he was lightheaded and talked about adjusting the cabin pressure, but it was not clear whether he was able to do that. Theyre not as easy to fly as, say, a Cessna 150, Beck said. On August 10th, 2018, a service agent for Horizon Air named Richard "Beebo" Russell used his position to steal a Horizon Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 airliner from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The perpetrator, 29-year-old Richard Russell, was a Horizon Air ground service agent with no piloting experience. "Nah, I'm a white guy." On Facebook, his favorite quotes were religious in nature, including, God IS Love and No Guilt in Life, No Fear in Death, this is the Power of Christ in Me, and a non religious line, This is America.. [Im] just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. Since his famous flight, he had spent a lot of time hiking, reading the Bible, and volunteering with the Forest Service. Now, in new footage of the moments before he took off, the 29-year-old can be seen walking through airport security with a The Skys No Limit T-shirt. How was he able to take off without being stopped? As of 2019[update], this clean up effort was still ongoing, with pieces of aircraft wreckage still being located on the island after the first anniversary of the incident. [7], SeattleTacoma air traffic control (ATC) maintained radio contact with the occupant. 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. Seattle ground Horizon guy. Cast Your Vote To Select The Meme Of The Month! He sounds just like anyone else would if they suddenly found themselves in a similar situation. After Russell performed an unauthorized takeoff, two McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle fighters were scrambled to intercept the aircraft. He was a quiet and well-liked young man who was active in his church. He had broken up with his girlfriend of 15 years and was having trouble finding steady work. Russells family released a statement to the news media expressing great shock and remembering Russell for his compassion. SeaTac air traffic control made radio contact with Russell, the sole occupant, who described himself as a "broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess." Authorities said they dont think he had a pilots license and arent sure how he was able to take off, much less perform complicated tricks in the air like a barrel roll. At one point, Russell told a controller he had played a lot of video games. But is true.., Here is a statement from the family of Richard Russell, the Horizon Air employee who stole a plane, crashed it into Ketron Island.This is a complete shock to us. It seemed like he was well liked by the other workers. Glenn Sullivan, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at the Virginia Military Institute and a clinical psychologist in private practice in Lexington, Virginia. He somehow managed to execute a barrel roll and a few other aerobatic maneuvers before crashing the aircraft onto a sparsely populated island, killing only himself. (More info in comments) 2 years ago today, Richard Russell, an airport ground service agent with no piloting experience, stole an Alaska Airlines Dash 8 and performed various stunts over the Puget Sound before crashing the plane on a sparsely populated island. Because I am a clinical psychologist, people come up to me after a news event like this and ask my opinion. [37], Horizon Air CEO Gary Beck stated that, as far as the company knew, Russell did not have a pilot's license. The incident resulted in Russell losing his life when he crashed on Ketron Island in Puget Sound, but people on sites like 4chan refused to let his story end there. Other video shows him clocking in to work. I think I might mess something up there, too. As Melville noted, We are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending., Be wary of simple explanations of any human behavior, and of simple solutions for complex problems. He was on meth.. Although he didnt have a pilots license, Russell knew how to work the plane from his experience as an airport employee, the FBI previously said. Around 9 PM Pacific Time on August 10th, a 29-year-old man named Richard Russell, stole a Q400 airplane from Seattle Tacoma International Airport and went for a joyride into the abyss. [39] He was an avid traveler and attended Washington State University Global Campus, majoring in social science. He claimed to have buzzed Mount Rainier. Heres hoping that the next Rich crashes on a couch of a good listener. He gradually drifted into controlled airspace near Los Angeles International Airport, causing some alarm both to the authorities and to the pilots of at least two commercial jets. To impress a woman, he arrived in a helicopter to take her on a classified mission, officials said. I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. The plane was grounded for the night after returning from Victoria, B.C., which was its final scheduled flight of the day. I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. It is not surprising that I thought of Larry Walters when I first heard about Richard Russell. Perhaps the least we should do in the wake of such tragedies is to reflect upon the words attributed to Philo of Alexandria: Be kind, for everyone you meet is in the midst of a great struggle.. At another point, Richard Russell said, Im down to 2100; I started at like 30-something.. It may seem difficult for those watching at home to believe, but Beebo was a warm, compassionate man. He worked at the airline for more than three years, authorities said. 2018 Horizon Air Q400 incident - Wikipedia [20], Russell's family released a statement on August 11, stating they were "stunned and heartbroken" and "devastated by the events". At one point in the dramatic audio, Richard Russell told the tower he was losing an engine. #SeaTac @king5 #ketron #dupont #andersonisland pic.twitter.com/78LC5PXKhU, Katreichel (@Katreichelart) August 11, 2018, The Sheriffs Department also wrote: Told F 15s made it within a few minutes of theft of plane. On August 10th, 2018, Russell stole the airliner from a maintenance position at the Sea-Tac airport. I sure married a nice pair of calves! she joked with a photo of the couple. At another point, he says he's going to try to "do a barrel roll." We are aware of an incident involving an unauthorized take-off of a Horizon Air Q400. The family thanked authorities, Alaskair, the community and Russells friends and family. There wasnt anything particularly wrong with them. Plane is a Q4. He was dubbed Sky King and tributes were offered to him. He did a barrel roll in a stolen plane and went out in a blaze of glory. Richard Russell had a website that appears to have been for a college communications class. This is "Sky King ~ Richard Russell" by Nibbus Jimmus on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. In this season of life we enjoy exploring as much as possible, whether its a day (or so) trip to one of Alaska Airlines destinations, or visiting a new area of Washington, Russell wrote about himself and his wife online.