Richard B. Russell reportedly stole a Horizon Air plane for a joyride before crashing and killing himself near Seattle. "Oh man. It evens out in the end.". All rights reserved. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Join the Celebration of a Lifetime! He's worked at Horizon longer than I did, and he still wasn't making $15 an hour, Reeves said. Airline and Seattle airport officials revealed the following at a news conference Saturday: In audio recordings of the incident posted on Broadcastify, Russell can be heard talking to air traffic controllers as they try to guide him to land the plane. He complimented the controller: "You are very calm, collect, poised," he said. Plus we let you know whats going on locally with Lee Callahans Jacktivities! It did not elaborate. Discovery Company. Potential targets included tens of thousands of fans assembling at Safeco Field, about 12 miles away, for a sold-out Pearl Jam concert just as he took off. 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. At one point, he apologizes and says he is a "broken guy" with "a few screws loose. "If you're going to access the aircraft you make sure that you check with someone else, and that someone else (will confirm) that you have the right authority to get onto that aircraft.". ", "I've got a lot of people that care about me," the man later said. Winter Weather Advisory expires for much of western Washington, Intertribal comedy sketch troupe performs 'Between Two Knees' at Seattle Rep, plane stolen from Sea-Tac Airport crashed, Stolen plane narrowly missed family inside Ketron Island cabin, released the findings of its investigation, Cockpit audio from worker who stole empty plane from Sea-Tac Airport, 'I was blown away': Stepbrother of man who stole plane speaks out. Did you encounter any technical issues? I mean, I would hope it is, for a guy like me. No one noticed the plane had disappeared until Mr Russell was in the air. He left prison after less than 5 years, on parole. After Russell performed an unauthorized takeoff, two McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle fighters were scrambled to intercept the aircraft. The King County medical examiner ruled his death a suicide. After proceeding through the pre-flight checklist and moving the pushback tractor, Mr Russell began rolling the plane toward a runway. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. If you miss out on Thursday, no worries! Kathleen Reichel said she watched the planes pass by for about two minutes. 2023 Cable News Network. . May 25, 2003. Send us an email at investigate@kiro7.com, Multiple western Washington residents indicted in connection to coast-to-coast drug ring, Bank accidentally left unlocked in Fresno, police say, Powerball jackpot winner identified as longtime Boeing employee, Officials: Mother identified as shooter in murder-suicide in Ohio, Court finds Federal Way gun store in contempt of court. Richard "Beebo" Russell (Screenshot from YouTube via AP) SEATTLE - The Horizon Air baggage handler who stole a commercial airplane from Sea-Tac Airport and took it for a 73-minute joy ride . The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office has confirmed the remains belong to Richard Russell, who took the empty Horizon Air turboprop plane from Sea-Tac Airport. Newly released CCTV footage shows airport employee Richard Russell stealing an Alaska Airlines plane before fatally crashing it into a Washington island, the New York Post reports. It was empty, parked at a Seattle-Tacoma International Airport cargo and . NBC News Digital features NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, TODAY.com, Nightly News, Meet the Press, Dateline, and the existing apps and digital extensions of these respective properties. The black boxes are now being sent to the National Transportation Safety Board for processing. Never really knew it until now.". SEATAC, Wash. - It was a shocking scene above the Puget Sound, as Horizon Airlines employee Richard Russell stole and flew a turboprop from Sea-Tac Airport while air traffic tried to talk him . He first can be seen wandering through security, and is spotted again later on the tarmac. SeaTac's tower began asking who was piloting the airplane, which culminated in the first of Mr Russell's exchanges with control that day. Mr Russell's aerial joyride ultimately ended in a fiery crash on a remote island in Puget Sound. "Our hearts are with the families of the individual aboard as well as all of our Alaska Air and Horizon Air employees," said Constance von Muehlen, the airline's chief operating officer. Horizon airline employee, 28-year-old Richard 'Bebo' Russell, stole a plane and took off before crashing into remote Pierce County island The reason I left is in February of 2016 they were short staffed and they had me run three planes in the same time, Reeves said. The tower alerted the Portland Air National Guard base, which dispatched a group of US Air Force F-15s to intercept the rouge aircraft. They said it's clear Russell didn't intend to harm anyone, and "he was right in saying that there are so many people who loved him. The incident is bizarre and tragic, but it is not unprecedented. "In this plane, he certainly knew how to retract the landing gear, he coordinated both engines, powered them up to get a coordinated takeoff," she said. Also see | 'I was blown away': Stepbrother of man who stole plane speaks out. Worlds Largest Passenger Aircraft Will Fly Again, Russia May Use Military Aircraft for Civilians, A Livestream of Planes Trying to Land at Heathrow, Why a New 5G Rollout Is Making Airlines Nervous, The Complicated History of the Very First Flight, The VTOL Future of Flight That Never Took Off. F-15 fighter jets scrambled to intercept the Q400, which ultimately crashed into Ketron Island, about 30 miles from the airport. 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. .css-v1xtj3{display:block;font-family:FreightSansW01,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:100;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-v1xtj3:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.1387rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-v1xtj3{line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.18581rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.5rem;margin-top:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-v1xtj3{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.2;margin-top:0.9375rem;}}A 777 Nearly Plunged Into the Ocean After Takeoff, Sudden FAA Failure Grounds U.S. Now let's land that airplane safely and don't hurt anybody on the ground," the helping pilot radios. Music from Green Day, Michael Jackson, Queen, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, Madonna, Pearl Jam, Fleetwood Mac, and more! For one, Russell shouldn't have been able to board the plane alone, he said. "Yeah, he knew how to fly," she continued. The sky thief Richard Russell captivated the audience's attention after the Authorities at the Port of Seattle released an airport surveillance video of plane stealing. A Warner Bros. Neither the men nor the plane has ever been seen again. In audio recordings released over the internet, Russell can be heard chatting in an upbeat, enthusiastic tone with the air traffic controllers trying to talk him down. I hope they can make it through this.". The Q400 is a turboprop aircraft with 76 seats. video Plane crashes near Seattle airport. Also see | Cockpit audio from worker who stole empty plane from Sea-Tac Airport. Later, a controller discusses getting a pilot on the radio to help Russell control the aircraft. "The greatest threat we have to aviation is the insider threat," said Erroll Southers, a former FBI agent and transportation security expert. Richard Russell: Details emerge of a 'compassionate' man after Seattle plane heist and fiery crash By Alex Horton August 13, 2018 at 8:01 a.m. EDT A Horizon Air employee described as. A 777 Nearly Plunged Into the Ocean After Takeoff, In audio recordings released over the internet, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. He was in the air for about an hour. May 23, 1969. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Domestic Flights, Airplane Door Rips Open Midflight on Russian Plane, Airport Worker Ingested Into Jet Engine, Dies, The Concorde Disaster, Battle Tanks, and More. I don't know! Russell, a 3-1/2-year Horizon employee, worked as a ground service agent. He did not survive the crash. KIRO 7 spoke with Russells friend and former co-worker Robert Reeves who said Russell was a hard worker who loved aviation, but he admits Russell was unhappy with his pay. I was kinda hoping that was going to be it. He also told the controller he "wasn't really planning on landing" the aircraft, and he described himself as "just a broken guy.". "Seattle Ground, Horizon Guy. Please dont hesitate to utilize this resource. I don't need that much help. July 13, 1994. "So, (he) had some knowledge but clearly wasn't a commercial pilot.". I've played some video games before," Russell responds. Horizon airline employee, 28-year-old Richard 'Bebo' Russell, stole a plane and took off before crashing into remote Pierce County island More Videos Next up in 5 The perpetrator, 29-year-old Richard Russell, was a Horizon Air ground service agent with no piloting experience. Airline officials believe he was in uniform and worked a shift Friday, Tilden said. After Russell talked periodically with air traffic controllers for about an hour, the plane crashed at Ketron Island,officials said. Having to rely on the ferry system for transport, the first 40 responding firefighters stayed at the scene throughout the night. We may earn a commission from links on this page. A fter 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. Newly released video shows the fiery scene firefighters encountered after an airplane stolen from Sea-Tac Airport crashed on Ketron Island. Meyer had recently been passed over for promotion and had been arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct. "He was getting really stressed about the financial situation he was in. As he flew the stolen 76-seat passenger plane above the Seattle area for nearly an hour on Friday night, Richard B. Russell was asked by an air . On the other hand, Russell was reported to have been profoundly troubled, whereas Malaysian authorities were unable to find any evidence that Shah suffered from mental illness or was undergoing any kind of stress in his life. Richard Russell, 29, walks through employee security screening at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. When Rolling Stone published its article last year, no major regulatory or security changes had been implemented in response to Russells deadly flight. tahwalhi knee pads size guide, criticisms of the tripartite system,
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