Was doing stunts in air or lack of flying skills caused crash into Island. The Sheriffs Department added, Two military F 15 chased plane but was not involved in crash and confirmed, No passengers on plane.. I hope it doesnt ruin your day. Up until then, he had seemed torn between life and death, at least considering the possibility of attempting a landing or ditching the aircraft in the sea. He did it because he was depressed. As David Hume observed, our brains habitually seek out causation and are restless until a cause, even an erroneous cause, is determined. Now video was released. Audio from the SeaTac tower reported that aircraft were lined up on the tarmac at one point. Privacy, Richard Russell Who Stole Plane Near Seattle Raises Troubling Security Questions, Richard Russell Details emerge of a compassionate man after Seattle plane heist and fiery crash, Richard Russell pilot of stolen Horizon Air plane had lighthearted tone before deadly crash, Pilot arrested after threatening to crash plane into Mississippi Walmart and eventually landing in a field, police say, Pilot threatening to crash hijacked plane into Walmart in Tupelo, Mississippi. Authorities said they did not believe he had a pilots license. Before he took off, several people at the airport questioned what was going on. I dont need that much help; Ive played some video games before, he told the controllers trying to help him. They turned him into a hero with the name, and with it came a lot of memes. 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. I was dead set against it. Their business contained a sign that read, I have loved you with an everlasting love. "[17] He asked ATC if he could get a job as a pilot with Alaska Airlines if he successfully landed the aircraft. Its burned quite a bit faster than I expected., He also said, Im gonna land it, in a safe kind of manner. Excerpts taken from Mr. Ballen 's video on the Sky king.Top 3 stories that sound fake but are 100% real | Part 5:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zaa53S-8lDMMr.Ballen's Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtPrkXdtCM5DACLufB9jbsAHIJACKED SEATTLE PLANE INSANE FOOTAGE, TRAFFIC CONTROL AUDIO, CRASH DAMAGE:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeYVtVg6aGs Raw: Family Press Conference For Suicidal Mechanic Who Stole Plane In Seattle:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5fFJgdhBm4Stepbrother of Richard \"Beebo\" Russell talks about stolen plane incident:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FvRMhQ44kYMusicFrom Internet Archive, Public Domain MusicThe Pachelbel Canon: by Orchestre De Chambre Jean-Franois Paillardhttps://archive.org/details/lp_the-pachelbel-canon-and-other-baroque-favo_orchestre-de-chambre-jean-franois-paillard/disc1/01.02.+Canon+In+D+For+Strings+And+Continuo.mp3Pachelbel's Canon in D:https://archive.org/details/PachelbelsCanoninD The hardest part of stealing a commercial plane from an international airport was already over for Richard Russell. We decided to sell and move in 2015, because we were both so far removed from our families. 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. Acted alone he is 29 year old Pierce county residence. So I dont know how he achieved the experience that he did.. A childhood friend remarked that Beebo was loved by everyone because he was kind and gentle to each person he met. Tower tracking flight and in contact. 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.. Saw two fighter jets fly overhead then smoke pic.twitter.com/w0bveGUJQH, McKenna Brown (@mckenna_brown) August 11, 2018, A man named Ben Schaechter wrote on Twitter, Halfway down the runway on Alaska airlines out of Seattle and the pilot slams on the brakes and shares we must go back to the gate. The federal agencies will lead the investigation. Russell, the sole occupant of the aircraft, perished in the crash. [14] The transmissions were quickly recorded and posted on social media websites. It had first flown in 2012 and was delivered new to Horizon Air in the same year. Preliminary info is that a mechanic from unknown airlines stole plane. "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. Unclear if passengers are on board. "Heroes" - Peter Gabriel 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. That day, Boston Globe journalist Matt Karolian tweeted a link to the Sea-Tac air traffic control broadcast, followed by an announcement that Russell revealed he would attempt a barrel roll maneuver (shown below). Goodbye" (shown below, left). | There is the runway just about a mile off your right side, do you see that? On social media, Richard Russell used the name Beebo Russell. Although authorities have not released his name, The Seattle Times identified the man as Richard Russell. An airline employee conducted an unauthorized takeoff without passengers at Sea-Tac; aircraft has crashed in south Puget Sound. I dont want to hurt no one. Its gonna be crazy, he tells traffic control, according to the video provided to local Seattle news outlet KOIN. The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long, another said. This is a Tribute Video to the late Richard Russell, better known as the Sky King. He and his wife had owned a bakery in Oregon but sold it to move closer to her family. "Nah, I'm a white guy." It's Been Almost 8 Years Since The 'Sad Satan' Phenomenon, And People Still Aren't Sure What Happened, If You're Always In The Passenger Seat, You Might Be A 'Passenger Princess', Controversial Ontario High School Teacher Placed On Leave By School Board, The 'Whatever' 'Dating Talk' Podcast Keeps Going Viral For 'Triggering' Its Young Woman Guests, 4chan Turns Disgraced Cartoonist Scott Adams Into A Meme. Audio captured emotional conversations between the man, named as Rich, and air traffic controllers trying to help him land safely. Tilden said that air traffic control was immediately aware that Russells take off in the aircraft was an unauthorized departure.. According to Eckrote, the plane is highly fragmented and she said that a background investigation is underway to further clarify Richs motive. My names Richard Russell, Im 27 and currently living in Sumner, WA with my incredible wife Hannah. Russell took the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprop from the northeast corner of the airport, according to the Times. On Facebook, Rich, using the name Beebo Russell, wrote that he lived in Sumner, Washington, was from Wasilla, Alaska, and was married to Hannah Russell, who worked as an assistant pastry chef and waitress, according to her social media account. Audio starts with another aircraft reporting the Q400 exiting the maintenance/cargo area and taking off without clearance. Hijacker does not know how to land the plane. [20] A veteran pilot said the maneuver "seemed pretty well executed, without either stalling or pulling the wings off. Cast Your Vote To Select The Meme Of The Month! Powered by. [7], SeattleTacoma air traffic control (ATC) maintained radio contact with the occupant. I feel really bad for Richard and for his family. Ive got a lot of people that care about me. He could have envisioned an aerial joyride and return to the ground. These statements should probably be considered the emotional projections of similarly disaffected people. Videos of the plane being followed by two F-15 fighter jets started going viral online as the story broke. Seattle ground Horizon guy. 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. After Russell performed an unauthorized takeoff, two McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle fighters were scrambled to intercept the aircraft. 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. 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. He was always smiling.. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. Oh- theyve probably got anti-aircraftnot quite ready to bring it down just yet. He left no children. Never really knew it, until now.". There wasnt anything particularly wrong with them. Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) August 11, 2018, People posted photos and videos to Twitter of a plume of smoke and possible crash site. [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). 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.. They said the family is moving forward with the difficult talk of processing our grief and asked for space to mourn. I had this dream for 20 years, and if I hadnt done it, I think I would have ended up in the funny farm. That is an example of what we clinicians call good insight.. How was he able to take off without being stopped? Russell, who worked for Horizon Air, a regional subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, flew the plane for 73 minutes before crashing it into remote Ketron Island, which has fewer than 20 residents. At another point, he says he's going to try to "do a barrel roll." My logo draft will be a generic suit case with minimalistic travel stickers, encircled by the text: Russell Hustle. The plane crashed through several lines of 100-foot trees, the National Transportation Safety Board said, according to CNN. U.S. Airlines Are Editing Their Websites to Remove Taiwan's Name at China's Request, What America's Richest Ski Town's Handling of COVID-19 Shows. Then, it segues into a montage of photos from Russells trips to Alaska, France, Ireland, and other places before ending with a scene from a family gathering. As part of his job, Patterson was responsible for fuelling the aircraft. A pair of F-15C jets were scrambled in response to Russells flight before he crashed one hour and 15 minutes after takeoff. in correct chronological orderthis took pIace over about 75 minutes. [19] Alaska Air Group CEO Brad Tilden announced on the same day that the airline was coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration, the FBI, and the National Transportation Safety Board, and was "working to find out everything we possibly can about what happened". Then, about an hour after he took off, Russell plunged into sparsely populated Ketron Island 25 miles southwest of the airport, sparking an intense fire. Lee Goldberg. Wife of Richard Russel, Hannahh Russel documented her seven-year-long marriage to the 29-year-old on Instagram ( Source : co ) "After failing to persuade Hannah of Alaska's awesomeness, we landed on Sumner due to its proximity to her family," he wrote in his blog. Periodically, his voice cut into the dispatches. Listening to the audio recordings, I feel nothing but sadness for Rich, for the man who stole that plane at #SeaTac and committed suicide. pic.twitter.com/ziBAYv7cgn, Jimmy Thomson (@jwsthomson) August 11, 2018. On YouTube, he also went by the name Beebo Russell. Russells family released a statement to the news media expressing great shock and remembering Russell for his compassion. He also had a pellet gun, with which he eventually shot several of the balloons, beginning his slow descent. I sure married a nice pair of calves! she joked with a photo of the couple. Public acts of violence such as mass shootings often reflect the perpetrators troubled, dark past. I met Hannah in Coos Bay, Oregon in 2010 while we were both going to school, the about me section says. Patterson did not end up flying the plane into Walmart, instead landing it in a nearby field where he was arrested. Men in the UK, aged 20 to 49, are more likely to die from . Magazines, Digital He is not a pilot and does not know how to land the plane. steal a Horizon Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 airliner. What have I done? [15] Near the end of the flight, the aircraft was seen performing a barrel roll over Puget Sound, recovering a mere ten feet (three meters) over the water. Human remains were recovered from the site, the FBI said Sunday, and Russell is presumed dead in the crash. New footage has been released from a 2018 incident in which an airline ground service agent named Richard Russell stole a turboprop plane from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and crashed it into an island in the Puget Sound. It is impossible to encompass who he was in a press release. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. Would love your thoughts, please comment. "[42] During his conversation with air traffic control, Russell said he "[knew] what [he was] doing a little bit" because he had experience playing video games. A moniker quickly took hold, echoed by others. Beebo was loved by everyone because he was kind and gentle to each person he met. I would hope it is for a guy like me. People on Twitter who were following the aviation audio reported that the man attempted a barrel roll with the plane at one point. He sounds just like anyone else would if they suddenly found themselves in a similar situation. bit.ly/subAIRBOYD Various scanner recordings from liveatc.net and broadcastify.com SEA Ground, Tower, Departure/Approach. I'm listening through the archive of the radio chatter on the #seatac hijacking. Today marks the third anniversary of the poetic death of Richard Russell, dubbed "Sky King," the young man who took an airplane for a glorious final flight. RIP Sky King, a user wrote. Patterson did not end up flying the plane into Walmart, instead landing in a field where he was arrested. Hearing Mr. Russell speak during his final hour is an emotional experience. [15] He said he was a "broken guy, got a few screws loose I guess. 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. 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.. Heres hoping that the next Rich crashes on a couch of a good listener. We love you bud. [12] Flights in and out of SeaTac Airport were temporarily suspended. I met Hannah in Coos Bay, Oregon in 2010 while we were both going to school, the about me section says. Sea-Tac airport confirmed the plane was down a short time later. And in recordings of conversations with air traffic controllers, Russell joked and laughed, though he was at times contemplative and raw. With this blog I hope to showcase all that Ive learned in Ms. Newmans Communications 210 class., His WordPress page includes a sketch that reads, Continuing with the theme of ground service work and travel benefits, I plan to create a simple logo that expresses both. Never really knew it, until now, Richard Russell said at one point. To impress a woman, he arrived in a helicopter to take her on a classified mission, officials said. Rest in peace Rich. Russell, the sole occupant during the flight, did not survive. This is not a terrorist incident. Glenn Sullivan, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at the Virginia Military Institute and a clinical psychologist in private practice in Lexington, Virginia. Rainier, the Olympic Mountains). [24] Delayed by the SteilacoomAnderson Island ferry, firefighters from West Pierce Fire and Rescue and other nearby departments arrived on the island about an hour and a half after the crash, where they then contended with the island's thick brush. Family Left Heartbroken After Airline Worker Steals and Crashes Plane. So many bags, he said. At one point, Rich asked for help in getting the cabin depressurized, complaining he was getting lightheaded. Second, psychiatric diagnosis also suggests simple solutions to complex problems: If he did it because he was mentally ill, we need more widely available mental health services.. Its not clear how he pulled off the intense maneuvers captured on video. You went out the way most of us dream, one user wrote. Updated Nov 30, 2022 at 4:37pm. [37] From early childhood he was known as "Beebo" to his friends and family. All further inquiries should be directed to the Seattle FBI office", "Alaska Airlines: Everything We Know About the Suicidal Hijacker", "Airplane taken from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has crashed", "Authorities probe how 'suicidal' employee could steal plane from Seattle airport", "Man who sought 'serenity' before crashing stolen plane near Seattle is identified", "Human remains, black box found from plane stolen by Seattle airport employee", "FBI Completes Investigation into August 2018 Unauthorized Flight from Seattle-Tacoma Airport", "Horizon Air Worker Who Crashed Plane Bent on Suicide, Not Terror", "Seattle: stolen plane crashes after rogue take-off from Sea-Tac airport", "Man who took Horizon Air plane from Sea-Tac Airport was quiet, well liked, says former co-worker", "Richard Russell was a jokester who complained about work, but Sea-Tac plane heist still baffles friends", "Family of man who stole plane at Sea-Tac express 'shock,' others say 'Beebo' was friendly guy", "Authorities don't believe man who stole plane had a pilot's license", "Who was Richard Russell? The Port of Seattle released the video. How Psychologically Conditioned Rats Are Defusing Landmines, The Innate Intelligence Observed in the Dying Process, 6 Signs That Youre Depressed and Ignoring It. She foiled their plans. Because I am a clinical psychologist, people come up to me after a news event like this and ask my opinion. Human remains were recovered from the site, the FBI said Sunday, and Russell is presumed dead in the crash. 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. [5] Seattle Tower tried several times to get the pilot of the aircraft to identify himself on frequency, but received no response. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Patient, new father among 5 killed in medical flight crash, Medical aircraft crash in Nevada leaves 5 dead: report, 5 dead in small plane crash in Little Rock, Human error eyed as cause of Yeti Airlines crash that killed 72 people. The general feeling was, "It is a wonder that more of us don't crack from the tedium and meaninglessness of our consumer culture." We know who he is. Who is the aircraft on Runway 1-6 center? an air traffic controller can be heard saying. Maybe that will grease the gears a little bit with the higher-ups, he said at another point. He preciously worked as a ground service agent at Horizon from 2015 to present. Well chalk it up to that. More information as we learn more, Alaska Airlines wrote on Twitter around 9:20 p.m. on the west coast. We are devastated by these events and Jesus is truly the only one holding this family together right now. pic.twitter.com/5z4BYRBrcU, Kierra Elfalan (@KierraElfalanTV) August 12, 2018. But he mentioned video games during his recorded conversation with air traffic control, which some have taken as a reference to flight simulator software. Maybe that will grease some gears a little bit with the higher-ups. The new footage appears to show Russell wearing a shirt that reads "The Sky's No Limit . ?, One woman wrote on Twitter, he has stolen a big Horizon turbo prop. On August 10, 2018, Mr. Russell, known as Beebo to his friends and family, helped himself to a Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 turboprop and took it on a 75-minute joyride. This story has been shared 110,450 times. Richard Russell, a ground control agent, died after he stole the plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in August 2018 and drove it into the ground of a remote island in the Puget Sound . On August 11th, 2018, a post about the plane crash was submitted to 4chan's /pol/ board,[1] where an anonymous user replied "Sky King?" Since his famous flight, he had spent a lot of time hiking, reading the Bible, and volunteering with the Forest Service. [28] It described the perpetrator, identified as 29-year-old Richard Russell,[29][30] as suicidal and said his actions did not constitute a "terrorist incident". ? wrote one woman on Twitter, echoing the comments of many people who heard the audio. 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. The individual did use a pushback tractor to rotate the aircraft 180 degrees so he could then taxi the aircraft, Pohl said at the news conference Saturday. Never actually wanted to hurt anyone. This story has been shared 176,044 times. He played athletics in high school in Wasilla, Alaska. The couple settled in Sumner, Wa., where Russell got a job at Horizon Air, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group, so he could easily fly back to Alaska to see his own family. He then flew around the area for about an hour, speaking at times with air traffic controllers and apologizing to loved ones for what he was about to do. Happy birthday to the man who keeps me laughing and always improves the view ? she wrote with one in 2017. Who Is The 'Sky King' Richard Russell And How Did He Earn His Title? [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. I hope they can make it through this. He said that airline employees go through background checks. He flew around as an air traffic controller calmly tried to reason with him. He also posted audio clips of interviews he conducted to SoundCloud for what appears to have been a multimedia college class. Or that he appeared to be a happy, regular guy. Its going to disappoint them to hear I did this, he hauntingly said before his death. Yeah I dont know what the burnageis like on a takeoff but yeah. Sep 09, 2022 at 02:47PM EDT Rick Christenson, who was previously an operational supervisor with Horizon Air and who watched Russells flight over Puget Sound, described Russell to the Times as a quiet guy. It seemed like he was well-liked by the other workers, Christenson said. Im in the air right now. I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. ", Currently we have a 29yr old who stole this plane & is threatening to crash it into something. August 12, 2018 1:05 PM EDT. I dont need that much help; Ive played some video games before, he told the controllers trying to help him. Polices ,ambulances ,& fire trucks are everywhere. I wouldn't want to do that. The day of the incident, a thread on 4chan's /pol/[14] board about the incident gained over 470 posts. Mr. Russell was clearly overwhelmed with the world in which he found himself, a world vandalized, a world stripped of his ancestral . "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. "[16] When ATC suggested that the plane be landed at Joint Base LewisMcChord, the occupant refused: "Those guys will rough me up if I try and land there. Our first date, he kind of cornered me into it, Hannah Russell said to the site. Videos posted to social media showed the other side of his skills. Male is confirmed a suicidal male. Old Medication, New Use: Can Prazosin Curb Drinking? He jokes around with the air traffic controller as he tries to explain to Russell how to land the plane, although as the conversation goes on that doesn't seem to be his intention, even saying, "I wasn't really planning on landing it." At one point in the dramatic audio, Richard Russell told the tower he was losing an engine. Although official accounts other than through live aviation audio were hard to come by at first, many passengers took to social media to report that pilots were telling them a man had stolen a plane. [6], The aircraft was stolen from Plane Cargo 1 at the north end of SeaTac Airport[6] and maneuvered to runway 16C via taxiways. [46][47], N449QX, the aircraft involved in the incident, pictured 2 months before the crash. [4] The New York Times Richard Russell Who Stole Plane Near Seattle Raises Troubling Security Questions, [5] The Washington Post Richard Russell Details emerge of a compassionate man after Seattle plane heist and fiery crash, [6] CBS News Richard Russell pilot of stolen Horizon Air plane had lighthearted tone before deadly crash, [10] CNN Pilot arrested after threatening to crash plane into Mississippi Walmart and eventually landing in a field, police say, [14] 4chan Pilot threatening to crash hijacked plane into Walmart in Tupelo, Mississippi, And part of his job was to drive the tractor that backed the aircraft into position for takeoff. After attempting the aircraft took off, two F-15 fighter jets were deployed. Published Buy "Richard "SkyKing" Russell" by BogTron as a Sticker. Thanks for contacting us. Its not clear whether Russell, 29, had ever really flown a plane before. Hey all! Disclaimer: I am in no way proficient in the arts.. It is not surprising that I thought of Larry Walters when I first heard about Richard Russell. Wish me luck! 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.. After five hours, he arrived in a tow vehicle near the plane. He appeared regretful about the pain he knew would inevitably visit his family. [29] An operational supervisor for Horizon Air described Russell as "a quiet guy" who was "well liked by the other workers". A football teammate suggested his mental instability had been caused by undiagnosed chronic traumatic encephalopathy that may have come from repeated concussions. Monteith stated the men told him they were training to use the aircraft's auxiliary power unit so they could tow it, but said it was "suspicious" that they left when he confronted them. I hope they can make it through this. He said that airline employees go through background checks. Rainier. Lucas added, Theyve been in contact with the culprit. #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. Hey all! Pilot said it was most bizarre thing hed heard in his career. All Rights Reserved. The majority of the memes are in celebration and memorial of Russell, while others are more trollish shitposts.