"Tower, you need to call and scramble now," one Alaska Air pilot called out. Late Friday, a Horizon Air employee believed to be Russell stole an empty turboprop plane, took off from SeaTac and crashed on Ketron Island, a small island in the Puget Sound that is home to about two dozen residents. Tragic as Russell's death was, he could have inflicted vastly more damage had he been so inclined. 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,. He first can be seen wandering through security, and is spotted again later on the tarmac. Could 3 Particles on a Tie Lead Us to D.B. 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. 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. The cause of the crash wasn't immediately known, but the F-15s did not bring the plane down, Eckrote said. 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. 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. After Russell talked periodically with air traffic controllers for about an hour, the plane crashed at Ketron Island,officials said. 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. In the footage, Mr Russell can be seen calmly moving through the airport wearing a black shirt that says "The Sky's No Limit." 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! He was right in saying that there are so many people who have loved him.". Nearby co-workers weren't even aware of Russell's actions, which happened six hours into his shift, according to reporters. Richard Russell, who stole plane from Sea-Tac, acted alone, crashed on He said flying was a "blast" and that he didn't need much help: "I've played some video games before.". While investigators concluded Russell intentionally crash the plane, his motive still remains a mystery. . "NORAD fighters did not fire upon the aircraft," North American Aerospace Defense Command said Saturday morning in a news release. 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. An hour and 45 minutes into the flight, Meyer crashed into the English Channel. There were no passengers aboard. The Q400 is a turboprop aircraft with 76 seats. 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. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. At least 12 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Trump speaks at CPAC after winning straw poll, 3 children killed, 2 others wounded at Texas home, Man charged for alleged involvement in 2 transformer explosions, Nikki Haley slams potential GOP contenders, and Trump and George W. Bush, Duo of 81-year-old women plan to see the world in 80 days, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant to "take some time away" from the team after allegedly brandishing a gun in a club, Alex Murdaugh trial: What to know about the double murder case, Officials say man who stole plane was suicidal. video Plane crashes near Seattle airport. It's gonna be crazy," Mr Russel said. Chilling CCTV footage shows Richard Russell stealing plane before fatal Horizon's parent company, Alaska Airlines, refused to comment on claims of workers being overworked or underpaid. After proceeding through the pre-flight checklist and moving the pushback tractor, Mr Russell began rolling the plane toward a runway. The man has been identified as Richard Russell, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation confirmed to CNN on Saturday night. Russell repeatedly says he would do a roll. 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. "I lift a lot of bags. 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 . A curious and ultimately tragic story from 2018 finally has a little more context, thanks to security camera footage. Music from Green Day, Michael Jackson, Queen, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, Madonna, Pearl Jam, Fleetwood Mac, and more! "You think if I land this successfully, Alaska will give me a job as a pilot?" The plane didn't require a key, but it did require buttons and switches to be activated in a particular order. 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. Playing What We Want In Seattle! He complimented the controller: "You are very calm, collect, poised," he said. For one, Russell shouldn't have been able to board the plane alone, he said. Witnesses described the surreal scene after the plane left the airport. I don't know, man! The U.S. National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255) is online 24/7 to help you in a time of depression or desperation. MH370 captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was a flight-sim enthusiast who is known to have taken a simulated flight path similar to the one authorities believe the plane ultimately took into the southern Indian Ocean. One sketch that he posted included a drawing of a Q400 plane, the same kind of plane involved in Friday's crash. U.S. Air Force Sergeant Paul Meyer, a 23-year-old crew chief stationed at Mildenhall Air Base in England, stole a C-130 cargo plane and took off. Cooper? Recently fired airline mechanic Armando Nieto Jaramillo, 23, stole a military HS-748 transport plane from Bogot-Eldorado Airport and crashed it soon after takeoff, killing himself and three people on the ground. The perpetrator, 29-year-old Richard Russell, was a Horizon Air ground service agent with no piloting experience. "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. The rest of Mr Russell's time in the air was well documented, thanks to his regular contact with SeaTac's tower. Richard Russell, 'Rich': 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Air traffic control became suspicious of Mr Russell after he cut in the line for takeoff. Investigators headed Saturday to the crash site to recover the plane's data recorders and Russell's remains as part of a criminal probe, authorities said. The FBI also said it found human remains among the wreckage. He is the author of The Plane That Wasn't There: Why We Haven't Found MH370. Russell responds: "Awwww-right. Richard Russell: Man who stole SeaTac plane was warm and compassionate Richard Russell: Authorities don't believe man who stole Dash-8 Q400 After Russell performed an unauthorized takeoff, two McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle fighters were scrambled to intercept the aircraft. FBI released more information about Russell and the incident earlier this year, including witness statements from family, friends, and co-workers. Videos Show Richard Russell's Final Moments Before Shocking Plane Crash Start your Independent Premium subscription today. 2023 Cable News Network. By Louis Lucero II and Melissa Gomez. Russell was credentialed to be in secure areas at the airport, said Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Air Group, which owns Horizon Air. Aug. 12, 2018. The tower alerted the Portland Air National Guard base, which dispatched a group of US Air Force F-15s to intercept the rouge aircraft. The plane eventually crashed on sparsely populated Ketron Island, starting a fire in the woods but injuring no one outside the plane. 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. Video from Friday showed the Horizon Air Q400 doing large loops and other dangerous maneuvers as the sun set on the Puget Sound. 2018 Horizon Air Q400 incident - Wikipedia 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. First published on August 11, 2018 / 4:48 PM. Join the Celebration of a Lifetime! Those guys will rough me up if I try and land there," the man responded, later adding, "This is probably jail time for life, huh? "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. So many bags," he said. President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident and is monitoring the situation, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Saturday morning. It seemed like such miserable work and I never could imagine why anyone would want to subject themselves to all the constant noise, gas fumes, and heavy lifting. His responsibilities included towing and pushing aircraft for takeoff and gate approach, de-icing them, and handling baggage. It wasn't immediately clear what training, if any, Russell had in flying planes. "I never thought I would work as a Ground Service Agent (GSA) for an Airlines company," he wrote in a blog post in September 2017. He was in the air for about an hour. That includes both domestic and international flights. The Seattle FBI office said Sunday that it had recovered the flight data recorder and components of the cockpit voice recorder from the Horizon plane. . Within minutes of the plane's takeoff, the military scrambled two armed F-15 jets from Oregon to follow it, according to local and airline authorities and two sources with knowledge of the situation. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. 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. "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. New Video Shows When Richard Russell Stole a Plane at Sea-Tac - Jalopnik Newly-released videos from the Port of Seattle show the moments leading up to an airport worker crashing a stolen airplane nearly four years ago. July 13, 1994. The incident is bizarre and tragic, but it is not unprecedented. "It's going to disappoint them to hear that I did thisJust a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess.". But the plane made turns and aerobatic maneuvers that suggest some skill, she said. Author: Elisa Hahn Published: 11/14/2018 5:51:22 PM 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. You know?". 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. 4.3M views 7 months ago A newly released video sheds new light on the moments leading up to Richard Russell crashing a plane. Enter for your chance to win a visit to the Disneyland Resort with 96.5 JACK FM! Please enter valid email address to continue. Authorities said Russell did not have a pilot's license. New footage released by the Port of Seattle shows Mr Russell who worked as a baggage handler at the airport preparing the plane for takeoff. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Not long before the crash, a pilot who'd been helping controllers advise Russell appears to mention the maneuver. Scroll down to continue . "Everyone was literally frozen in place, muttering about what possibly happened," he said. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Sunday that Russell had died in the fiery wreckage, but whether the crash was deliberate or accidental was one of several topics remaining for investigators. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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