Richard Russell was a suicidal airport ground services worker who stole an airplane from Sea-Tac International Airport in Seattle, Washington, and took it on a dramatic unauthorized flight, where it was chased by fighter planes as he attempted stunts in the air before the plane crashed. This is going to sound bad, but Im kind of surprised it took as long as it did before something happened, the former worker said. Horizon Q4 prop hijacked by unauthorized person not a pilot. Richard Russell: quiet, well-liked Seattle airport worker who stole a plane The man who stole a plane with no one else on board from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport late Friday has been identified as Richard Russell, 29, according to two unnamed law. 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. He complimented the controller: "You are very calm, collect, poised," he said. How Russell, who did not hold a pilots license, learned to fly the twin-turboprop Bombardier Q400 that had been parked up for the night is unclear. Mary Schiavo, an aviation attorney and former inspector general of the Department of Transportation, noted that pilots are never alone in the cockpit, always required to be joined by a colleague, but ground-service agents enter the cockpit alone, with their partner driving the pushback tractor on the ground. Four years ago, a 29-year-old man named Richard Russell managed to steal an Alaskan Airlines turboprop plane from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Below are some of the clips. Subscribe to NBC News: nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC Watch more NBC video: bit.ly/MoreNBCNews NBC News Digital is a collection of innovative and powerful news. Audio captured emotional conversations between the man, named as Rich, and air traffic controllers trying to help him land safely. I feel really bad for Richard and for his family. They dont steal airplanes. bit.ly/subAIRBOYD Various scanner recordings from liveatc.net and broadcastify.com SEA Ground, Tower, Departure/Approach. The sketch on Richard Russells WordPress page. More information as we learn more. Listen to his final moments as he talks back and forth with air traffic control. Just the same old Beebo.. ", Hear audio conversation leading up to Seattle plane crash. Richard Russell The airline employee who stole a commercial plane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Friday night and flew it through the skies before crashing it, killing himself, has been identified by colleagues as Richard "Beebo" Russell. We present three-dimensional maps in monochromatic extinction A0 and the extinction parameter R0 within a few degrees of the Galactic plane. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Russell also mentions his job at Horizon in the blog. 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. Failing to convince Hannah of Alaskas greatness, we settled on Sumner because of its close proximity to her family., Richard added, I, meanwhile, obtained a job working for Horizon Airlines (partnered with Alaska Airlines) so Im able to fly to Alaska at my leisure. Seattle ground Horizon guy. The plane didn't require a key, but it did require buttons and switches to be activated in a particular order. Colton Harris-Moore, nicknamed the Barefoot Bandit, was sentenced in 2011 for stealing small planes, which he had learned to fly himself as a teenager after reading flight manuals. We know who he is. He remembers growing up in Wasilla, camping and video games and building forts in the woods. New footage shows airport worker Richard Russell steal plane pic.twitter.com/Ra4LcIhwfU. Stay tuned., Another indicated, Seatac airspace closed. This is not a terrorist incident. I sure married a nice pair of calves! she joked with a photo of the couple. 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 dont want to hurt no one. "As the voice recording show, Beebo's intent was not to harm anyone and he was right in saying that there are so many people who loved him," the statement read. I usually have to work outsidebut it allows me to do some pretty cool things too.. Our focus continues to be supporting our employees, providing support for his family and cooperating fully with the investigation, Horizon spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said. \"Oh man. . "I lift a lot of bags. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. Our heart is heavy for the family and friends of the person involved.. Thanks for contacting us. Russell said on the aviation audio, This is probably jail time for life, huh? The audio between the man known as Rich and air traffic controllers further captured his demeanor. He sounded just perfectly fine, Criss, referring to Russell by his nickname, told the Anchorage Daily News, which worked in cooperation with The Seattle Times on this story. It was his childhood friend, Richard Russell, talking to air traffic controllers, a conversation that was then broadcast all over the world. \"It seemed like he was well liked by the other workers. Family and friends try to reconcile Richard Russell's action with the On his blog, Richard talks about how he and his wife once ran a bakery. 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.. "Oh man. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Richard Russell, who stole an empty plane from Seattle Airport, took off and and crashed into a small island, Russell, pictured with wife Hannah, told air traffic controllers he was a 'broken man' in a chilling final conversation, Airport worker hijacks empty Alaska Airlines plane from Seattle Airport and crashes onto island after being followed by F-15 fighter jets. Thats McChord field, the controller tells Richard Russell. A week after Russell stole a 76-seat passenger plane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, traversing the Puget Sound region for more than an hour before crashing to his death on Ketron. 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! Keep the aircraft nice and low, the tower responded to the man at one point, advising him to keep it over the water. More: How did an airline worker manage to steal a commercial aircraft? The footage shows him going through security wearing a T-shirt that says "the sky's no limit." He was right in saying that there are so many people who have loved him.. "The greatest threat we have to aviation is the insider threat," said Erroll Southers, a former FBI agent and transportation security expert. We were overworked, extremely underpaid, said Austin Duerr, who worked for Horizon from 2007 to 2012. More information as we learn more, Alaska Airlines wrote on Twitter around 9:20 p.m. on the west coast. Airport (@flySEA) August 11, 2018. 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, Rich asked for help in getting the cabin depressurized, complaining he was getting lightheaded. You can listen to more archived aviation audio on the incident here, some of which captures the mans voice: READ NEXT: TikTok Influencers Son Murdered at Gas Station. My names Richard Russell, Im 27 and currently living in Sumner, WA with my incredible wife Hannah. Authorities say he had worked Friday, and was in uniform, when he got into the cockpit of a Horizon Airlines Bombardier Q400 plane and took off for an hourlong joyride. Russell, who was widely identified as the pilot on Saturday morning, was the sole victim in the crash. Pilots kept plane out of harms way and people on ground safe. Never knew he was fighting a battle non of us knew about. FBI: Richard Russell, who stole plane from Sea-Tac, acted alone, crashed on purpose; motive a mystery . He had worked his shift on Friday. Russells former co-workers described Horizon as an often unpleasant place to work, where workers were pushed hard, underappreciated and carried a sense of grievance that they were paid less than SeaTacs much-publicized $15 an hour minimum wage. Here's what we know about the mechanic who joked with air traffic controllers before crashing the jet into a small island. #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. According to Eckrote, the plane is highly fragmented and she said that a background investigation is underway to further clarify Richs motive. Former co-workers describe a quiet, friendly guy who read a lot and liked the free travel perks that came with working for an airline. Those were among Richard Russells last words to a Seattle air traffic controller on Friday night before the 29-year-old airline employee crashed a stolen Alaska Airlines plane into a near-deserted island in Puget Sound. KINGs Madison Wade reports. Listening to the audio recordings, I feel nothing but sadness for Rich, for the man who stole that plane at #SeaTac and committed suicide. \"Most importantly,\" he said in a voice over about his job, \"I get to visit those I love most. The Russell he knew had always been a jokester, the class clown. Hey all! But the plane slammed into tiny Ketron Island, a sparsely populated island southwest of Tacoma. Every time I traveled I would look out my plane window and see these sullen looking individuals leisurely pacing around, or hectically throwing bags into a cart. Tim Orr, who also works at the Seattle-Tacoma airport, and who said he had known Mr. Russell since they were both 12, said his friend had been frustrated that his airport job did not pay the $15 minimum wage that many other airport workers receive, and had talked about leaving to do something else. I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. Hannah and Beebo met at a Campus Crusade for Christ gathering at Southwestern Oregon Community College last year, the site reported. New Footage Shows Moments Before Seattle Man Crashed Plane in 2018 The jet took off at 7.32pm local time on August 10, 2018. On Facebook, he had liked the Republican Party and conservative personalities like Sean Hannity and Ben Shapiro. 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. In his call to air traffic controllers, the man also described himself as having a "few screws loose" but didn't realise until now. Im in the air right now. He never talked about any mental-health issues, Fan said. He said he wanted to create projects showing the contrast between his hard work on the ground and his high-flying free time traveling the globe.\"I never thought I would work as a Ground Service Agent (GSA) for an Airlines company,\" he wrote in a blog post in September 2017. It was empty, parked at a Seattle-Tacoma International Airport cargo and maintenance area for the night after arriving from Victoria, British Columbia, earlier in the day. Richard Russell raised pilot's suspicions a year before Sea-Tac plane heist, 'Video games'? It seemed like such miserable work and I never could imagine why anyone would want to subject themselves to all the constant noise, gas fumes, and heavy lifting I would like to dedicate this blog to the life of a ramper and highlight the remarkable contrast between our work and rest.. Here's what we know about the man who joked with air traffic controllers before he brought the jet down. Newly Released Video Shows the Moment Richard Russell Stole a Plane at Sea-Tac Russell, a Seattle airport employee, took an empty Horizon Air passenger plane on a joyride that ended in a fatal . 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. At one point, Rich reported that he threw up all over the cockpit, according to the audio. So many bags,\" he said.A blog that appeared to belong to Russell as part of a multimedia content creation class at Washington State University focused on his job on a ground service agent. pic.twitter.com/ziBAYv7cgn, Jimmy Thomson (@jwsthomson) August 11, 2018. Russell, he said, was always friendly and was always reading in what little down time they had. He has buzzed Mt Rainer and the Seattle area. "Last night's event is going to push us to learn what we can from this tragedy so that we can ensure this does not happen again at Alaska Air Group or at any other airline," Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Airlines, told a news conference Saturday. In a humorous YouTube video he posted last year, he talked about his job and included videos and photos of his various travels. It makes me cringe,"he said. He chatted sometimes calmly and sometimes in a frenzied stream of consciousness with air traffic controllers who tried to guide him to a safe landing, as jets from the Air National Guards of Washington and Oregon flew alongside him, ready to take action. Now video was released. Prince Richard, then 28, was thrust into the limelight following the death of glamorous brother Prince William in 1972, which rocked the monarchy - and his family bereft. The NTSB is now processing the equipment. Ah, Rich, dont say stuff like that, the controller said. "You think if I land this successfully, Alaska will give me a job as a pilot?" This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed. Its a complaint that Russell himself echoed in social-media postings, noting the dichotomy between a grueling, low-paying job and the globe-trotting trips that the job let him take. But Debra Eckrote, the chief of the northwest regional office of the National Transportation Safety Board, said on Saturday that it was conceivable that a ground service agent would be able to start an airplane. Confirmed info .. this is a single suicide male. Radio banter in between, ending with the intercept audio for Rock 41 and Rock 42. suicidepreventionlifeline.org afsp.org AIRBOYD #SeaTac #ChambersBay #Q400 #Horizon. Russell, a 3-1/2-year Horizon employee, worked as a ground service agent. Heres hoping that the next Rich crashes on a couch of a good listener. Richard Russell, who dreamed of being in the military and once ran a bakery with his wife, was identified as the suicidal airport ground services worker who stole an airplane from Sea-Tac International Airport and took it on a dramatic unauthorized flight, where it was chased by fighter planes as he attempted stunts in the air before the plane crashed. Richard Russell Plane Crash Video From Seattle | Heavy.com Authorities say he was suicidal. "He was a quiet guy. \"I lift a lot of bags. But four former ground-service agents who worked with him keyed in on one line from the cockpit recording, a complaint about wages and a dig at management. Weird times. In a statement, the family said Richard Russell, whose nickname was "Beebo," was a faithful husband, loving son and good friend. "We consider ourselves bakery connoisseurs and have to try a new one every place we go.". Everything We Know About Richard Russell, the Man Who Stole and - Vice I was born in Key West, Florida, and moved to Wasilla, Alaska when I was 7. In the chilling recording, he revealed he was a "broken man" and apologised to the air traffic controller. Other video shows him clocking in to work. Authorities say he was. On Friday, 29-year-old Richard Russell, a ground employee at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, managed to sneak onto an empty commercial aircraft and took it for an . Christenson told The Seattle Times it was difficult to listen to the audio as Russell communicated with an air traffic controller. They owned a bakery shop and settled down in Sumner, Washington, in 2015, which is when he got his job at Horizon Air. It's no Bellingham, WA lawmakers deadlocked as drugs ravage Snohomish County, rest of state, Woman shot in West Seattle, hours after 2 killed on Capitol Hill, Oregon tells a cautionary tale about drugs, but we're not listening, 'Airplane of opportunity'? 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.. Nah, Im a white guy. That last line has caused some controversy online. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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He turned on planes auxiliary power units (essentially the battery), communicated with air traffic controllers and would have used the planes brakes in an emergency, but would never have turned on the engines or propellers, former co-workers said. Rainier. Its blast, man, Mr. Russell replied. Before takeoff, the pilot explains someone stole an airplane, and is flying around near Mt. Mr. Russell took off around 7:30 p.m., according to the authorities. The man a ground service agent identified as Richard B. Russell, according to a law enforcement official exposed a troubling reality of airport security in the post-9/11 era. They rose together at 5 a.m., preparing breads and pastries in a shop that was little more than an oven, a sink and a couple counters, according to an article at the time from the Coos Bay World. I think Im gonna try to do a barrel roll, and if that goes good, Im just gonna nose down and call it a night.. "I feel really bad for Richard and for his family. Surveillance footage obtained by KOMO shows 28-year-old Richard Russell using a tow vehicle to pull a Horizon Air Q400 aircraft onto the tarmac before climbing into the cockpit on August 10, 2018. Like, a lot of bags. Then he took an Alaska Airlines plane. Speaking with the Seattle Times, one of Russells former co-workers described him as a quiet, well-liked young man. richard russell audio transcript FBI records released in case of Alaska Airlines worker who stole plane 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. Who was Richard Russell, what happened in the Seattle plane crash and I hope this prompts a nationwide discussion about mental healthcare overall. Richard Russell: 'Heartbroken' family of Seattle airline employee The Man Who Stole The Plane From Seattle Airport And Crashed It Was A / CBS/AP. Authorities don't know why he took the plane, but he could be heard on audio recordings telling air traffic controllers that he is "just a broken guy.". At one point, an air traffic controller asked if Mr. Russell felt comfortable flying. We are devastated by these events and Jesus is truly the only one holding this family together right now. Theft and crash of Seattle airplane prompts FBI investigation, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies.