F-15s were scrambled out of their base at Portland International Airport to intercept the plane. The rest of Mr Russell's time in the air was well documented, thanks to his regular contact with SeaTac's tower. Nah, Im a white guy.. But the plane slammed into tiny Ketron Island, a sparsely populated island southwest of Tacoma. 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. 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. "It seemed like he was well liked by the other workers. A beautifully-written Rolling Stone article published in summer of 2021 tells the story of Russells life up to the moment he towed the plane onto the runway and hopped in the cockpit, attempting to find meaning or motive to help explain why this goofy, God-fearing baggage handler decided to steal a plane he likely knew he couldnt successfully land. Russell was recorded having multiple conversations with air traffic controllers who were trying to talk him into landing. Like a lot of bags. "My husband and I are recently former Boeing employees, and we were wondering why a jet was near the passenger airplane," she 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. Photos show first responders that night sleeping outside on the ground. He flew until the plane ran out of fuel and died in the ensuing crash. I hope they can make it through this.". "Everyone was literally frozen in place, muttering about what possibly happened," he said. He is the author of The Plane That Wasn't There: Why We Haven't Found MH370. Enter for your chance to win a visit to the Disneyland Resort with 96.5 JACK FM! Reeves said he left Horizon because workers are overworked and underpaid. Russell was credentialed to be in secure areas at the airport, said Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Air Group, which owns Horizon Air. .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. Investigators "did not identify any information that would suggest the theft of the aircraft was related to wider criminal activity or terrorist ideology," according to a summary of the FBI report. SeaTac's tower began asking who was piloting the airplane, which culminated in the first of Mr Russell's exchanges with control that day. When Rolling Stone published its article last year, no major regulatory or security changes had been implemented in response to Russells deadly flight. After Russell talked periodically with air traffic controllers for about an hour, the plane crashed at Ketron Island,officials said. The incident is bizarre and tragic, but it is not unprecedented. In the footage, Mr Russell can be seen calmly moving through the airport wearing a black shirt. August 13, 2018 / 5:34 AM He also told the controller he "wasn't really planning on landing" the aircraft, and he described himself as "just a broken guy.". Foote was an experienced glider pilot and had undergone 100 hours of simulator flying in the Skyhawk and had hoped to become a military pilot before his ambitions were derailed by health issues. They say says this is a complete shock. "Tower, you need to call and scramble now," one Alaska Air pilot called out. "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. In a statement, the family says Richard Russell, whose nickname was "Beebo," was warm, kind and gentle. Not long before the crash, a pilot who'd been helping controllers advise Russell appears to mention the maneuver. July 4, 1986. A Russian Air Force engineer made off with an Antonov An-26 transport plane from Kubinka Air Force Base near Moscow. After Russell performed an unauthorized takeoff, two McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle fighters were scrambled to intercept the aircraft. "But the air traffic controller had to tell him how to set what they call the 'bugs' -- they're just little, sort of, little levers, or little notches on your indicator for your heading, which is kind of basic. Lee Callahan in the morning, and the No Repeat Workday while you work! According to his Facebook page, which had limited public access, he was from Wasilla, Alaska, and lived in Sumner, Washington, and was married in 2012. FBI released more information about Russell and the incident earlier this year, including witness statements from family, friends, and co-workers. 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 . Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Minimum wage, we'll chalk it up to that. 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. Hell of a crime spree for a 19 year old. Join the Celebration of a Lifetime! 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. New surveillance. The perpetrator, 29-year-old Richard Russell, was a Horizon Air ground service agent with no piloting experience. Without communicating to air traffic controllers, he cut off another airplane and then managed to get the plane onto the runway and airborne. / CBS/AP. The whole saga took place late on a Friday night in the west-coast time zone; by Monday morning, the constant news churn of the middle years of the Trump presidency seemed to have pushed any follow-up coverage of the Horizon Air crash out of the headlines. Richard Russell, 29, walks through employee security screening at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. He eventually climbs inside the cockpit and fires up the engine. Russell, 29 is presumed dead. Because there were no passengers or crew aboard the plane, it wasnt considered a hijacking, and authorities response to the event seems to indicate that nobody ever expected an airport employee to hop in a plane and go for a ride with no apparent intent to terrorize, kill, or even make a greater statement. An air traffic controller called him "Rich," and tried to convince him to land the airplane. ", Referring to audio recordings of Russell talking to air traffic control during his hour-long flight, the statement said his "intent was not to harm anyone. 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 . Mr Russell's aerial joyride ultimately ended in a fiery crash on a remote island in Puget Sound. First published on August 11, 2018 / 4:48 PM. The jets were not involved in the crash, it said. Now let's land that airplane safely and don't hurt anybody on the ground," the helping pilot radios. among other things. After the plane approached Ketron Island, Waldron saw a thick column of smoke followed by a loud explosion, he said. Russell is then seen walking into a restricted area meant for baggage handlers, getting onto a tarmac tow vehicle, and dragging the plane he was set to steal onto the runway. Its not yet known exactly what pre-existing psychological conditions Russell may have had, but in the course of his conversation with air traffic controllers he expresses racial resentment. Win Your Trip to Our 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards! He was immediately killed. So many bags," he said. The NTSB is now processing the equipment. He's worked at Horizon longer than I did, and he still wasn't making $15 an hour, Reeves said. NTSB to investigate in-flight turbulence that left 1 passenger dead, Pittsburgh woman missing for 31 years found alive in Puerto Rico, stole an airplane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Investigators work to determine how a man was able to pilot a stolen plane. While investigators concluded Russell intentionally crash the plane, his motive still remains a mystery. Earlier in the flight, Russell says: "This is probably, like, jail time for life, huh? Also see | Cockpit audio from worker who stole empty plane from Sea-Tac Airport. "Oh man. That includes both domestic and international flights. "Nah, I mean, I don't need that much help. Relatives of Richard Russell say they are "stunned and heartbroken" after the airline worker stole a passenger plane Friday from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and was killed when. "I thought they were practicing for an air show," he said. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. The FBI has recovered the flight data recorder and components of the cockpit voice recorder from the Horizon aircraft that crashed onto Ketron Island Friday night. 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. He passed a series of background checks to gain his position, as he didn't have any criminal convictions. Its the first time that weve had a commercial aircraft stolen off the ramp of an active airport, Steven Armstrong, vice director of operations for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), told Rolling Stone. Horizon's parent company, Alaska Airlines, refused to comment on claims of workers being overworked or underpaid. It was empty, parked at a Seattle-Tacoma International Airport cargo and . 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. 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. I don't know! The plane was a Bombardier Q400, a turboprop that seats 76 people, owned by Horizon Air, part of Alaska Airlines. On Friday, Horizon Air ground service agent .css-3wjtm9{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.125rem;text-decoration-color:#1c6a65;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-3wjtm9:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Richard B. Russell got in one of the airlines Bombardier Q400 aircraft and took off from Seattles SeaTac Airport. "Congratulations. He left prison after less than 5 years, on parole. The Port of Seattle just released the CCTV footage of 29-year-old Richard Russell towing the Alaska Airlines' Q400 Turboprop into position back in 2018 at the Seattle-Tacoma International.
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