Published: 06:13 GMT, 12 August 2018 | Updated: 18:33 GMT, 13 August 2018, The suicidal airport worker who hijacked and crashed a plane said before he died:'I'll go nose down and call it a night.'. The plane was grounded for the night after returning from Victoria, B.C., which was its final scheduled flight of the day. Alaska Air Group CEO Brad Tilden said at a news conference Saturday that Russell worked for Horizon Air for four years and was on the clock and in uniform when he stole the twin-engine turboprop plane, which was parked in a cargo lot at the time. He was a faithful husband, a loving son, and a good friend. On YouTube, he also went by the name Beebo Russell. I met. The video starts with images of what its like to work as a baggage handler for an airline, sometimes in the rainy weather. Others reported that the man had supposedly buzzed Mt. Just a broken guy. Russell was chasing a degree in sociology from Washington State University and trying to be a director in his job. The emergency shut down the airport, known as SeaTac, and the surrounding skies. Ive played video games before so I know what Im doing a little bit. So many bags,' he said. "Nah, I'm a white guy." })(); Athena Brownfield was beaten to death by caretaker on Christmas Day, Idaho suspect messaged female victim on Instagram weeks before, pestered her with DMs, Athena Brownfield missing: OK caretaker & TikTok rapper arrested, Idaho suspect may have left sheath as calling card & possibly killed before, OK caretaker accused of murdering missing 4yr old girl. , updated The married airport employee "hijacked" the Alaska Airlines plane before being caught on video performing stunts in the sky as he was tailed by fighter jets. Someone sneak on board?, A man named Tyler Lucas wrote, Sitting on the runway at SeaTac, preparing for departure. Forget lullabies! Maybe that will grease the gears a little bit with the higher-ups. The Seattle FBI office said Sunday that it had recovered the flight data recorder and components of the cockpit voice recorder from the Horizon plane. Audio starts with another aircraft reporting the Q400 exiting the maintenance/cargo area and taking off without clearance. '. Or that he appeared to be a happy, regular guy. Air traffic control: Just flying around the plane, you seem comfortable with that? Police blameddoing stunts in the air and a lack of flying skillsfor the crash. Russell also mentions his job at Horizon in the blog. Commercial aircraft are complex machines. And part of his job was to drive the tractor that backed the aircraft into position for takeoff. A year after their relationship, the couple dated and traveled from Oregon to Sumner in search of their sacred home. Air traffic control: Do you have any idea of how much fuel you have left? Richard Russell a 29 year old SeaTac airport mechanic worker has been identified as the individual who hijacked an Alaska Airlines plane, Friday night, before crashing it. I usually have to work outsidebut it allows me to do some pretty cool things too.. 'I think I might mess something up there too. I want to see that guy. The wife of an airline employee who hijacked a plane in Seattle had recorded their seven happy years of marriage on Instagram, calling him 'the man who keeps me laughing'.
Clues were offered in a recorded radio transcript he had with airport controllers. ? wrote one woman on Twitter, echoing the comments of many people who heard the audio. We have different personalities, so we can play off each other well, he said. Air traffic control: If you wanted to land, probably your best bet is that runway just ahead and to your left. Rich: Just kind of lightheaded, dizzy. In 2015, the couple relocated to Seattle because we were both so far removed from our families, Russell wrote. (If you need help, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.). In the chilling recording, he revealed he was a "broken man" and apologised to the air traffic controller. I met Hannah in Coos Bay, Oregon in 2010 while we were both going to school. After Russell performed an unauthorized takeoff, two McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle fighters were scrambled to intercept the aircraft. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose I guess. In one blog, he described aspirations. 604 posts. At one point during the exchange, Russell said he knew how to put the landing gear down but that I really wasnt planning on landing it. Russel also told the controller that he was just a broken man.. Health/beauty. Im sorry about this, I hope this doesnt ruin your day. One or more F-15, Click to subscribe! Pilots kept plane out of harms way and people on ground safe. 1701). Audio from the SeaTac tower reported that aircraft were lined up on the tarmac at one point. Ah, Rich, dont say stuff like that, the controller said. 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.. While he was in the air, Russell described himself to air traffic controllers as 'just a broken guy' with 'a few screws loose'. At one point, Rich reported that he threw up all over the cockpit, according to the audio. Weird times. Here's what we know about the mechanic who joked with air traffic controllers before crashing the jet into a small island. As a flight controller tried to persuade him to land, he wondered aloud about whether he had enough fuel to make it to the Olympics, talked of the beautiful view, and said he had a lot of people who cared about him, apologizing for what he was doing. Richard Russell, a married 29-year-old Horizon Air employee, (seen with his wife, Hannah, left; and in his uniform, right) was remembered in a family statement released at a news conference on Saturday as a 'faithful husband' and a 'good friend', Russell posted several videos on his blog showing him and his wife (pictured) traveling around the globe, Workers gather in a staging area Saturday near Steilacoom, Wash., near the site on Ketron Island in Washington state where an Horizon Air turboprop plane crashed. Another called it cathartic and liberating.. He said flying was a 'blast' and that he didn't need much help: 'I've played some video games before.'. pic.twitter.com/bXzZQAeoSM. Others include how, nearly 17 years after the 9/11 attack, someone can simply take a passenger plane from a major U.S. airport without authorization. I want to know what this weather is going to be like in the Olympics (mountains). But if you could start a left turn, and back towards the east. Rich: Alright, 'cause I felt some, what felt like turbulence around Rainer, but there was no clouds hardly. It read: This is a complete shock to us. A black family confronts a 70-year-old killing and a white mans exoneration, A Horizon Air employee described as suicidal stole an empty plane at Seattles airport and crashed it into a nearby island on Aug. 10. He would take my shifts if I needed. Friends of Richard Russell give parting hugs after making a statement to the media Saturday, Mike Mathews and friends of Richard Russell talk to the media Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018, at the Orting Valley Police and Fire Department, in Orting, Washington. This is the family home of Hannah Russell, wife of Richard Russell. Russell's family said they weredevastated in a short statement. He played athletics in high school in Wasilla, Alaska. Ah, minimum wage. After failing to convince Hannah of Alaskas amazing character, we came to Sumner for her closeness to her family, he wrote in his blog. You can watch the video above. Russell then said before he crashed: 'I think I'm going to try to do a barrel roll, and if that goes good I'll go nose down and call it a night,' according to a recording of his conversation with the controller. A friend wrote on Facebook, So heart brokenhe was such a kind person to me. #seatac., A woman named Robanne Stading wrote on Twitter, #seatac airport is on a ground halt because evidently a mechanic is flying an unauthorized flightseeing trip around the mtns. We were married one year later, and one month after that we opened a bakery which we successfully ran for 3 years, he explained on his website of his wife. Richard Russell, 29, stole an Horizon Airlines jet from the Seattle-Tacoma Airport and took it for an hour-long joyride before crashing on an island in a ball of flames on Friday evening. No passengers believed to be onboard. It may seem difficult for those watching at home to believe, but Beebo was a warm, compassionate man. I met Hannah in Coos Bay, Oregon in 2010 while we were both going to school, the about me section says. We consider ourselves bakery connoisseurs and have to try a new one every place we go. With them also was Mary Fleming, whom Peter had brought back from America and placed in Elizabeth s charge. Apparently someone stole a plane from SeaTac? This is a complete shock to us. We dont know how he learned to do that, Beck said when asked how Russell was able to perform loop-the-loop and barrels while flying the aircraft. On social media, Richard Russell quickly became something of a folk hero, but people also felt sadness and empathy for his pain and his plight. Rich: Yeah, I don't know what the burnage, burnout? 2023 TIME USA, LLC. 1699), and Charity (b. More information as we learn more. I wouldnt want to do that. His name is Richard Russell. They said it's not clear whether he had ever taken flight lessons or used flight simulators, or where he gained the skills to take off. Rich, you said you had 2100 pounds of fuel left? the controller responded. Air traffic control: Well Rich I already talked to 'em. Luke Adams ? I was born in Key West, Florida, and moved to Wasilla, Alaska when I was 7. Although he was born in Key West, Fla. he moved to Wasilla when he was 7, according to a website he made in 2017. I was thinking, like, I'm going to have this moment of serenity, take in all the sights. Russell said to dispatchers, You think if I can land this successfully, Alaska will give me a job as a pilot? and the Air Traffic Control tower said, I think they will give you a job doing anything if you pull this off. He replied, according to some sites, Yeah right! We'll chalk it up to that. Rich: Man, have you been to the Olympics? 111k Followers, 1,254 Following, 604 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Hannah Russell (@hannahrussell_lowcarbmom) hannahrussell_lowcarbmom. At one point, Rich asked for help in getting the cabin depressurized, complaining he was getting lightheaded. He sounds like a broken man who needed help. I was a ground service agent at Horizon Air for the better part of 2016, and I worked alongside Richard "Beebo" Russell. the traffic controller said. Hannah is a wonderful photographer as was evidenced by her Instagram which was taken down as this post was published, sadly. Because they were both so far from their families, they chose to sell and migrate in 2015. Radio banter in between, ending with the intercept audio for Rock 41 and Rock 42. suicidepreventionlifeline.org afsp.org AIRBOYD #SeaTac #ChambersBay #Q400 #Horizon, sweet story written about the couple and their new bakery in 2012. Mourners gathered in the comments section of his YouTube video. His Girlfriend/boyfriends name is Not Available. Will many of us have a better story to tell when we get to wherever were going, one Reddit user saidin a thread. Russell told controllers midflight that he played video games in preparation, but it was not clear whether he meant flight simulators some of which are commercially available and depict exhaustive and realistic measures to start an aircraft. MECHANIC Richard Russell stole a passenger plane before performing loop-the-loops and crashing into an island. He preciously worked as a ground service agent at Horizon from 2015 to present. Listening to the audio recordings, I feel nothing but sadness for Rich, for the man who stole that plane at #SeaTac and committed suicide. The man, known as Rich in air traffic control audio and dubbed the sky king on Twitter, broke hearts on social media as people followed the unauthorized flight before it came to a fatal end. A video posted to Russell's amateur travel blog in December 2017 provides an intimate view into his life as a grounds service agent for Horizon Airlines, a job that consisted primarily of loading and unloading luggage, paying only $13.75 per hour. At another point, Richard Russell said, Im down to 2100; I started at like 30-something.. As ground service agents, we handled luggage, walked through planes for . Audio starts with another aircraft reporting the Q400 exiting the maintenance/cargo area and taking off without clearance. Horizon Air CEO Gary Beck told reporters that he does not believe Russell had a pilot license. His 75-minute flight during the golden twilight took him south and west, toward the Olympic Mountains. 'This is probably jail time for life, huh? Richard Russell, a married 29-year-old Horizon Air employee, (seen with his wife, Hannah, left; and in his uniform, right) was remembered in a family statement released at a news conference on . Companions portray him as a pleasant person with an infectious grin. He and his wife Hannah started a bakery in Oregon in their early 20s, according to a 2012 story in a local paper that depicted a happy, determined couple. They Met in 2011 During a Christian College Event Hannah and Richard Russell In a 2012 story, Hannah. SEATTLE -- The family of the man who stole a Horizon Airlines turboprop plane from Sea-Tac Airport Friday night and later crashed on Ketron Island called him a faithful husband, loving son and . Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital 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. I know youre getting a good view there, but if you go too much farther in that direction I wont be able to hear you anymore. He has buzzed Mt Rainer and the Seattle area. Family friend Mike Matthews read a statement from Russells family that said the incident was a complete shock to them. More recently, he listed his occupation as operations agent for Horizon Air at Sea-Tac since April 2018. Authorities said he used a tractor to rotate the plane 180 degrees, positioning it so that he could taxi toward a runway. A former coworker, Rick Christenson, told The Seattle Times: He was a quiet guy. Authorities said they did not believe he had a pilots license. Russell wrote that he was pursuing his Bachelor of Social Sciences and hoped to work his way up to a management position at Horizon Air or to join the military or law enforcement. In a sweet story written about the couple and their new bakery in 2012, Russell admitted he knew nothing about baking but was learning from his wife. They opened a bakery and ran it for. 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. Damnit Andrew, peoples lives are at stake here, Rich said at one point in the audio, which you can listen to later in this article. They said the family is moving forward with the difficult talk of processing our grief and asked for space to mourn. Theyre not as easy to fly as, say, a Cessna 150, Beck said. Julia Child . On his Facebook page, which had limited public access, he said he was from Wasilla, Alaska; lived in Sumner, Washington; and was married in 2012. Happening right now. Rich: Hey I want the coordinates of that orca, you know, the mama orca with the baby. Yay air force . 1691), Nathaniell (b. As the voice recordings show, Beebos intent was not to harm anyone and he was right in saying that there are so many people who love him.. Aw man, those guys would rough me up if I tried landing there, Rich says. In the aftermath of Fridays incident, questions surrounded how Russell was able to gain access to the aircraft and fly it out of the airport undetected. Videos posted to social media showed the other side of his skills. We have police boats, we have everybody responding, were trying to contact the military. Hey all! Sea-Tac Airport (@SeaTacAirport) August 11, 2018. No idea how he achieved that experience., #RichardRussell gave us the reason he did what he did, right here. He took out a million dollar plane which was clearly to him a literal representation of the elites whove been screwing us for so long. I hope they can make it through this. He said that airline employees go through background checks. The Estimated Net worth is $80K USD $85k. Princess Anne is the 'perfect' example of a spare thanks to her 'sense of duty', Charles's first royal RSVP! 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