The plane was a Q400, a Bombardier turboprop plane, one of about 40 the airline has in its fleet. On board was 29-year-old Richard Russell, a baggage handler for Horizon Air who is also flying the plane for unknown reason. The cause of the crash wasn't immediately known, but the F-15s did not bring the plane down, Eckrote said. The worker performed several aerial stunts in the stolen aircraft before ultimately crashing on Ketron Island. At one point he asks the controller, Hey, do you think if I land this successfully, Alaska [Horizon Airs parent company, Alaska Airllines] will give me a job as a pilot? Told, You know, I think they would give you a job doing anything if you could pull this off, Russell replies, Yeah right! 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. Russell, a 3-1/2-year Horizon employee, worked as a ground service agent. He later stole the plane and eventually crashed it into an island in Puget Sound. "I think I'm going to try to do a barrel roll, and if that goes good I'll go nose down and call it a night," Richard Russell said from the cockpit, according to a recording of his conversation with the controller. 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. Airports nationwide will now look at whether their security procedures need to change, CNN safety analyst David Soucie said. It's unclear exactly what Mr Russell is doing during this time, but he eventually takes control of a pushback tug and readies the Alaska Air plane for takeoff. SeaTac's tower began asking who was piloting the airplane, which culminated in the first of Mr Russell's exchanges with control that day. Newly released video shows the fiery scene firefighters encountered after an airplane stolen from Sea-Tac Airport crashed on Ketron Island. Man who took Horizon Air plane from Sea-Tac Airport was quiet, well Russell, a Horizon Air ground service agent for three and a half years, was the only person aboard the plane, the Pierce County Sheriff's Department said. [deleted] 5 yr. ago. New Footage Shows Moments Before Seattle Man Crashed Plane in - YouTube "Nah, I mean, I don't need that much help. After Russell performed an unauthorized takeoff, two McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle fighters were scrambled to intercept the aircraft. He did not survive the crash. The King County medical examiner ruled his death a suicide. By Louis Lucero II and Melissa Gomez. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. Richard Russell: quiet, well-liked Seattle airport worker who stole a plane They pursued the aircraft before it went down on Ketron Island, between Tacoma and Olympia. We deliver the best in breaking news, live video coverage, original journalism and segments from your favorite NBC News Shows.Connect with NBC News Online!NBC News App: https://smart.link/5d0cd9df61b80Breaking News Alerts: https://link.nbcnews.com/join/5cj/breaking-news-signup?cid=sm_npd_nn_yt_bn-clip_190621Visit NBCNews.Com: http://nbcnews.to/ReadNBCFind NBC News on Facebook: http://nbcnews.to/LikeNBCFollow NBC News on Twitter: http://nbcnews.to/FollowNBC#Surveillance #Horizonair #hijacking Enter for your chance to win a visit to the Disneyland Resort with 96.5 JACK FM! Richard B. Russell reportedly stole a Horizon Air plane for a joyride before crashing and killing himself near Seattle. New video shows the crash site and blogging made by Richard Russell, the airline worker who stole and crashed a plane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Cooper? 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. "The FBI is going to be thorough, which means taking the time needed to scour the area, delve into the background of the individual believed responsible for Friday night's incident, and review every aspect with all appropriate public and private partners," the FBI's Seattle office tweeted Saturday afternoon. 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. Richard Russell: Man who stole SeaTac plane was warm and compassionate "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. He's worked at Horizon longer than I did, and he still wasn't making $15 an hour, Reeves said. In the footage, Mr Russell can be seen calmly moving through the airport wearing a black shirt that says "The Sky's No Limit." Nearby co-workers weren't even aware of Russell's actions, which happened six hours into his shift, according to reporters. As a flight controller tried to persuade him to land, he wondered aloud about whether he had enough fuel to make it to the Olympics, talked of the beautiful view, and said he had a lot of people who cared about him, apologizing for what he was doing. Russell, who was a ground services employee for Horizon Air, sat in the plane's cockpit for nearly an hour and a half before the unauthorized takeoff. The NTSB is now processing the equipment. 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. Even with this new footage at hand, its hard to figure out what made Russell embark on this brazen, fatal adventure. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. But could you start a left-hand turn, please?". Onlooker John Waldron took video that shows the plane rolling inverted at low altitude, then pulling into a half-loop in a aerobatic high-g maneuver called a split S. Whether through skill or luck, Russell managed to pull the plane out of its rapid descent just above the wave tops. Russell responds: "Awwww-right. Russell took the Q400 from a cargo area at the north end of Sea-Tac Airport on August 10. FBI releases classified documents from 2018 Horizon Air plane theft, crash Aug. 12, 2018. Author: Elisa Hahn Published: 11/14/2018 5:51:22 PM "Here we have an employee who was vetted to the level to have access to the aircraft and had a skill set proficient enough to take off with that plane.". New video shows crash site of stolen plane 02:22 CNN Richard Russell was a funny, gentle and hardworking man, said family and a colleague of the airline employee who stole a passenger. Meyer had recently been passed over for promotion and had been arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct. Amazingly, despite the unprecedented nature of this deadly feat, and the fact that it could have easily become a mass casualty event, Russells flight and fatal crash seemed to hardly make a splash in the national news. No one noticed the plane had disappeared until Mr Russell was in the air. Video from a witness on the ground shows the plane at one point pulling up for a loop, putting the aircraft upside-down and then pulling back up just feet above a body of water. How was a man able to steal and pilot a plane? Relatives of Richard Russell say they are "stunned and heartbroken" after the airline worker stole a passenger plane Friday from the Seattle-Tacoma . 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. Could 3 Particles on a Tie Lead Us to D.B. The FBI also said it found human remains among the wreckage. Authorities said he used a tractor to rotate the plane 180 degrees, positioning it so that he could taxi toward a runway. Data from the flight data recorder showed there was a significant sideslip on the airplane during the last minute of the flight, but the airplane appeared to stay in control, according to the FBI report. Remains of airline worker who stole, crashed plane found on island in New video shows crash site of stolen plane. 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. CNN's Kyung Lah reports. I was kinda hoping that was going to be it. 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. "Yeah, he knew how to fly," she continued. What was the richard russell plane crash story all about. Richard Russell died in Friday's plane crash. "Congratulations. "Although investigators received information regarding Russells background, possible stressors, and personal life, no element provided a clear motivation for Russells actions.". Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. His family says it's clear he didn't mean to harm anyone. Some speculated the plane was stolen as part of an insurance scam, or perhaps taken by terrorists who planned to use it as a flying bomb, but the truth remains unknown. The plane was a Bombardier Q400, a turboprop that seats 76 people, owned by Horizon Air, part of Alaska Airlines. The fuselage was fragmented and appeared to be upside down, said Debra Eckrote, regional chief for the National Transportation Safety Board. Richard Russell Posted a Video on YouTube About Being a Baggage Handler Play VideoVideo related to richard russell, 'rich': 5 fast facts you need to know 2018-08-11T15:04:15-04:00 In a. Russell took off from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at 7.32pm on Friday and flew, tailed by F-15 Eagle jets, until the plane crashed at 8.47pm into Ketron Island, located 25 miles. In a final video project set to cheery music, Russell included selfies from airport . Videos Show Richard Russell's Final Moments Before Shocking Plane Crash he joked. The plane eventually crashed on sparsely populated Ketron Island, starting a fire in the woods but injuring no one outside the plane. Airline officials believe he was in uniform and worked a shift Friday, Tilden said. So many bags," he said. "You think if I land this successfully, Alaska will give me a job as a pilot?" .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. In the days leading up to the theft and subsequent crash, employees and family didn't notice anything wrong with him, investigators wrote in the updated report. Nearby co-workers weren't even aware of Russell's actions, which happened six hours into his shift, according to reporters. Investigators on Saturday were trying to retrieve the plane's flight data recorder and its cockpit voice recorder. An FBI investigation found Alaska Airlines ramp employee Richard Russell intentionally crashed the aircraft after flying for more than an hour. New Video Shows When Richard Russell Stole a Plane at Sea-Tac - Jalopnik Richard Russell Plane Crash Video From Seattle | Heavy.com "He might have been talking to himself in the cockpit," so the voice recorder may provide additional information that wasn't recorded in radio traffic, she said. 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. "He worked his shift yesterday, we believe he was in uniform, his job is to be around airplanes," said Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Air Group, which owns Horizon Air. "NORAD fighters did not fire upon the aircraft," North American Aerospace Defense Command said Saturday morning in a news release. Also see | Stolen plane narrowly missed family inside Ketron Island cabin. Human remains were found in wake of Friday's tragic plane crash. Now, nearly four years after the event, authorities have released new video footage showing how 28-year-old Russell who went by the nickname "Beebo" got through. While in the air, Meyer, whod been married eight weeks before, called his wife and said, Guess what? President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident and is monitoring the situation, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Saturday morning. 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CCTV Footage Shows Baggage Handler Stealing Plane, Crashes On Island - TMZ KIRO 7 News Seattle facebook feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle twitter feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle youtube feed(Opens a new window), Who was Richard Russell? What happened from then, left a. The tower alerted the Portland Air National Guard base, which dispatched a group of US Air Force F-15s to intercept the rouge aircraft. Ultimately the FBI determined that Mr Russell intentionally brought the airplane into a dive onto a small island in Puget Sound, where he died. "I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. Please enter valid email address to continue. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ", "I've got a lot of people that care about me," the man later said. "Never really knew it till now," he said. The 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 . Discovery Company. 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. "There is a runway just off to your right side in about a mile," the controller says, reffering to an airfield at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Russell was credentialed to be in secure areas at the airport, said Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Air Group, which owns Horizon Air. The newly published video, coupled with Rolling Stones detailed reconstruction of the events of August 10, 2018, paint the picture of a cheerful, gregarious fellow. Siddiq Saunderson Moved to L.A. and Immediately Bought a Prius, Millennials and Zillennials Can't Get Enough of Manual Transmissions, Dollar Flight Club Premium Plus (Lifetime Subscription), Tesla Investor Day 2023 Was Pretty Great if You Ignored Elon. He complimented the controller: "You are very calm, collect, poised," he said. ", The statement said Russell, 29, was "a faithful husband, a loving son and a good friend. The perpetrator, 29-year-old Richard Russell, was a Horizon Air ground service agent with no piloting experience. On his Facebook page, which had limited public access, he said he was from Wasilla, Alaska; lived in Sumner, Washington; and was married in 2012. Worker who stole plane and crashed identified, See stolen plane flying moments before crash, Co-worker of man who stole plane speaks out, Official: Man taxied plane before stealing it, Airline worker's family releases statement, Airline issues statement after Seattle crash, Witness: Thought Air Force was practicing for show. Music from Green Day, Michael Jackson, Queen, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, Madonna, Pearl Jam, Fleetwood Mac, and more! Playing What We Want In Seattle! When Rolling Stone published its article last year, no major regulatory or security changes had been implemented in response to Russells deadly flight. A curious and ultimately tragic story from 2018 finally has a little more context, thanks to security camera footage. I've played some video games before," Russell responds. Lee Callahan in the morning, and the No Repeat Workday while you work! New video shows fiery scene of stolen plane crash on Ketron Island 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,. Win Your Trip to Our 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards! The jets' capability was appropriate to the potential task, one of the sources said, without offering details. He managed to proceed with his plan unmolested largely because no one thought twice about the baggage handler working in the airport's restricted spaces. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. After proceeding through the pre-flight checklist and moving the pushback tractor, Mr Russell began rolling the plane toward a runway. Details of man who sources say stole airplane from Sea-Tac, Officials: Man who stole plane, died in crash not a pilot, Woman faces decades in prison after lying about murder, Do you have an investigative story tip? 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. What followed was a 73-minute joyride during which Richard Beebo Russell had a surprisingly candid conversation with air-traffic controllers as he pushed the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 twin-engine plane through some daring acrobatic moves. After Russell talked periodically with air traffic controllers for about an hour, the plane crashed at Ketron Island,officials said. Find flight for cheapWith its premium plus plan, youll be able to browse flight deals going for up to 90% off in business, premium economy, and economy class. 2. Copyright 2018 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. Richard Russell: 'Heartbroken' family of Seattle airline employee - CNN The agency says the 28-year-old's loved ones hosted an intervention for him, who "seemed fine" besides increased drinking. Marine Corps lance corporal Howard A. Foote, Jr. stole an A-4M Skyhawk ground attack jet from Marine Corps Air Station El Toro and took it on a 45-minute aerobatic joyride before returning to base and landing safely. Without communicating to air traffic controllers, he cut off another airplane and then managed to get the plane onto the runway and airborne. The job of a ground service agent includes directing aircraft for takeoff and gate approach, handling baggage and tidying and de-icing planes, authorities 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. the moments leading up to an airport worker crashing a stolen airplane, FBI released more information about Russell and the incident, employees and family didn't notice anything wrong, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Maybe that will grease some gears with the higher up, Russell said to air traffic controllers. He said flying was a "blast" and that he didn't need much help: "I've played some video games before.". Photos show first responders that night sleeping outside on the ground. He was in the air for about an hour. and last updated 2018-08-12 08:56:01-04. But the plane slammed into tiny Ketron Island, a sparsely populated island southwest of Tacoma. Mr Russell's aerial joyride ultimately ended in a fiery crash on a remote island in Puget Sound. Indeed, in transcripts of his conversation with air-traffic control as he zig-zags the stolen plane through the airspace above the 15th-largest city in the U.S. (some of which can be heard in the video above), Russells demeanor goes from awestruck, to giddy, to fearful, to guilty, as he seems to process in real-time the weight of what hes done, and the unlikelihood that hell survive. Officials don't believe Russell had a pilot's license, and they don't know how he knew to fly the plane. Now let's land that airplane safely and don't hurt anybody on the ground," the helping pilot radios. Richard Russell plane crash video from Sea-Tac | wltx.com CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. An hour and 45 minutes into the flight, Meyer crashed into the English Channel. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. Richard Russell, 29, walks through employee security screening at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. August 13, 2018 / 5:34 AM 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.
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