[37] From early childhood he was known as "Beebo" to his friends and family. The incident led to a dramatic and tragic night on August 10, 2018, as aircraft were grounded at Sea-Tac while fighter jets followed the man and air traffic controllers tried unsuccessfully to help him land the aircraft. At one point, he says to the utterly professional air traffic controller, Im sorry about this. [18] He was active in his church and a leader in the local Christian youth ministry Young Life. He met his wife, Hannah, in 2010 in Coos Bay, Oregon while we were both going to school, and the couple wed one year later, Russell wrote on his website. [9], On August 11th, 2018, journalist Jimmy Tomson tweeted out a series of audio clips in which Russell can be heard talking to an air traffic controller (shown below).[3]. Confirmed info .. this is a single suicide male. He stated that he did not want to hurt anyone,[17][19] and in the final minutes of the communication apologized to his friends and family. On YouTube, he also went by the name Beebo Russell. These statements should probably be considered the emotional projections of similarly disaffected people. 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. [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". Never really knew it, until now.". "[18] Well chalk it up to that. Glenn Sullivan, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at the Virginia Military Institute and a clinical psychologist in private practice in Lexington, Virginia. Authorities said they did not believe he had a pilots license. Plane is a Q4. . "[22], The two F-15s attempted to direct the aircraft toward the Pacific Ocean, and did not fire at it. Or that he appeared to be a happy, regular guy. More information as we learn more, Alaska Airlines wrote on Twitter around 9:20 p.m. on the west coast. In the audio clips, Russell calls himself "broken" and says he knows how to fly a little bit thanks to video games. Once I earn my Bachelors in Social Sciences I will either seek a management position where Im at now, or possibly join the military as an officer. He is not a pilot and does not know how to land the plane. The crisis has engulfed the West as a whole. About to take off. Unclear if passengers are on board. Full video form John Waldron on Facebook being shown on CNN #seatac pic.twitter.com/R98bl5uQBr. 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?" Russell had no formal training as a pilot and did not have his pilots license. 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 the voice recording shows, Beebos intent was not to harm anyone and he was right in saying that there are so many people who loved him.. 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 was manic-depressive. You seemed like a nice guy and a hell of a natural pilot., Seattle hijackers plane heist, midair stunts and fiery crash expose gaps in aviation security. Im in the air right now. Never really knew it, until now, Richard Russell said at one point. Authorities described him as suicidal.. The footage shows him going through security wearing a T-shirt that says "the sky's no limit." 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." But as the cockpit recordings and videos of Russells antics spread, and Internet users uncovered his online postings, his final act drew both admirers and detractors. You can listen to all of his SoundCloud clips here. 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. Russell cites his position at Horizon in his blog as well. A Port of Seattle official, Mike Pohl, said that Russell used an airport tractor to pull the parked plane onto a runway, which he would have known how to do, as part of his job in ground service was towing airplanes. SeaTac air traffic control made radio contact with Russell, the sole occupant, who described himself as a "broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess." pic.twitter.com/Ra4LcIhwfU. 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! She foiled their plans. The incident spawned numerous image macros, photoshops and fan arts on 4chan . A childhood friend remarked that Beebo was loved by everyone because he was kind and gentle to each person he met. "Nah, I'm a white guy." "[17] He asked ATC if he could get a job as a pilot with Alaska Airlines if he successfully landed the aircraft. He attended Washington State Global University Campus from 2016-2017, seeking a bachelors degree in social science. Terrorism was ruled out, and Russell was found to have acted alone. bit.ly/subAIRBOYD Various scanner recordings from liveatc.net and broadcastify.com SEA Ground, Tower, Departure/Approach. Sep 09, 2022 at 02:47PM EDT 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. About to take off. [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". In July 2022, video was released that showed Russells last moments going through security, taking off in the plane, and communicating with air traffic control. He was on meth.. Richard Russell had a website that appeared to have been for a college communications class. quote: On August 10, 2018, a Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 was stolen from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) in Seattle, Washington. Third, and perhaps most importantly, psychiatric diagnoses provide listeners with psychological distance from the victim. 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. On Facebook, he had liked the Republican Party and conservative personalities like Sean Hannity and Ben Shapiro. 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. Sadly, he did not survive much longer at all. ?, One woman wrote on Twitter, he has stolen a big Horizon turbo prop. The hardest part of stealing a commercial plane from an international airport was already over for Richard Russell. 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. It was worth it, he said, to conveniently travel to Alaska, where he grew up, to visit family. Theres something wrong with all of us. Russell said on the aviation audio, This is probably jail time for life, huh? Cast Your Vote To Select The Meme Of The Month! They were born, they laughed, they struggled, they loved, and they died. He did a barrel roll in a stolen plane and went out in a blaze of glory. After performing the stunt, along with other maneuvers, the plane crashed on Ketron Island in the Puget Sound. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed, the airport wrote. The video shows Russell wearing a shirt that reads The skys no limit, as he passed through security at the airport, where he worked. Im going to disappoint them to hear that I did this. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Latest update from tower indicates no interest on his part to land the plane. Both were armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles[12] and went supersonic, generating sonic booms on the way to the Puget Sound area. Purportedly, when the arresting officers asked why he had risked his life with such a stunt, he said, A man cant just sit around., Later, he told the press, It was something I had to do. The perpetrator, 29-year-old Richard Russell, was a Horizon Air ground service agent with no piloting experience. pic.twitter.com/ziBAYv7cgn, Jimmy Thomson (@jwsthomson) August 11, 2018. "[21] When an air traffic controller requested he land the plane after this maneuver, he said "I don't know. All Rights Reserved. This story has been shared 110,450 times. Seattle-Tacoma Intl. He was a quiet and well-liked young man who was active in his church. He was a faithful husband, a loving son, and a good friend, the family said in the statement, which was read by a friend, Mike Mathews, ABC reported. It was a lie. He also posted audio clips of interviews he conducted to SoundCloud for what appears to have been a multimedia college class. 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. On that day, Twitter[11] user @CityKing_Gank_ posted a clip of Patterson flying the plane over his town, garnering over 17,000 likes and 4,000 retweets in six days (shown below). by RIP to the SkyKing. [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, He was married and completing a bachelors degree. My names Richard Russell, Im 27 and currently living in Sumner, WA with my incredible wife Hannah. The aircraft had been in maintenance status and was parked in an otherwise-vacant space for work on the plane's, New Footage Shows Moments Before Seattle Man Crashed Plane in 2018, A newly released video sheds new light on the moments leading up to Richard Russell crashing a plane. The Pierce County Sheriff wrote on Twitter, Stolen horizon airplane crashed into Ketron island. Weird times. In another moment, Russell said he was lightheaded and talked about adjusting the cabin pressure, but it was not clear whether he was able to do that. Who is the aircraft on Runway 1-6 center? an air traffic controller can be heard saying. You can watch the video above. 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. Location of SeattleTacoma International Airport (north) and Ketron Island (south) within northwestern Washington state. 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. The fighter jets were scrambled from Portland. 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. Family friend Mike Matthews read a statement from Russells family that said the incident was a complete shock to them. Maybe that will grease some gears a little bit with the higher-ups.

Cole Hauser Height, Weight, Articles S