"Sky King" is a nickname given to 29-year-old ground service operator Richard Russell after he stole a Horizon Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 airliner from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) and died after crashing on Ketron Island in Puget Sound. Florida man accused of killing daughter's dogs by locking Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, What's next for Buster Murdaugh after dad's murder conviction, life sentence, Alex Murdaugh shaves head for latest mugshot after learning his fate for killing his wife, son, Heather Dubrows youngest child comes out as transgender, Tom Sandoval drops out of interview amid backlash from Raquel Leviss scandal, Rebel Wilson says Meghan Markle isnt as naturally warm as Prince Harry, March 4, 1984: Martina Navratilova defeats Chris Evert at MSG, Tom Sizemore And The Dangerous Burden of Desperation, Tom Sandoval breaks silence on Ariana Madix split amid cheating claims. Audio starts with another aircraft reporting the Q400 exiting the maintenance/cargo area and taking off without clearance. After five hours, he arrived in a tow vehicle near the plane. The couple settled in Sumner, Wa., where Russell got a job at Horizon Air, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group, so he could easily fly back to Alaska to see his own family. KINGs Madison Wade reports. We were married one year later, and one month after that we opened a bakery which we successfully ran for 3 years, he explained on his website of his wife. Meanwhile, various tributes to Russell were uploaded to YouTube (shown below). ?, One woman wrote on Twitter, he has stolen a big Horizon turbo prop. Seattle-Tacoma Intl. We know who he is. Russell flew the plane around Seattle for an hour while National, New Video Shows Man Stealing Horizon Air Plane In 2018 Incident, Newly-obtained surveillance video from 2018 shows how Richard Russell, then a Horizon Ground service agent with no pilot experience, successfully stole the plane before crashing to his death. Why did I do it? The Port of Seattle released the video. Unclear if passengers are on board. "[16] When ATC suggested that the plane be landed at Joint Base LewisMcChord, the occupant refused: "Those guys will rough me up if I try and land there. Im going to disappoint them to hear that I did this. Never really knew it until now. Hearing Mr. Russell speak during his final hour is an emotional experience. Among the memes are images of Wojaks veering off into the sunset alongside quotes from Russell, a selfie of Russell sitting in the cockpit of the plane and video edits using audio clips from the conversation between Russell and the air traffic controller mixed with sad music and effects to emphasize the tragedy behind the event. Like a lot of bags. 1:10. I dont need that much help; Ive played some video games before, he told the controllers trying to help him. 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 works as an assistant pastry chef and . Sea-Tac Airport (@SeaTacAirport) August 11, 2018. The story, despite seeming near-mythic, is true. Other video shows him clocking in to work. For Richard Russell. The equipment was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board for processing. [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". Richard Russell, AKA Rich or Beebo Russell, was named as the airport mechanic who stole a Horizon plane at Sea-Tac and crashed it. At one point, he says to the utterly professional air traffic controller, Im sorry about this. ", Currently we have a 29yr old who stole this plane & is threatening to crash it into something. I was kind of hoping that was gonna be it, you know? And part of his job was to drive the tractor that backed the aircraft into position for takeoff. Russells social media accounts have become funeral guestbooks, digitized for the world. This article was published more than4 years ago. [37], Horizon Air CEO Gary Beck stated that, as far as the company knew, Russell did not have a pilot's license. Holy smokes, Ive got to stop looking at the fuel because its going down quick.. Men in the UK, aged 20 to 49, are more likely to die from . We believe there are no passengers on board. The final descent at Ketron Island was determined to be intentional, and suicide was listed as the manner of death. On August 10th, 2018, Russell stole the airliner from a maintenance position at the Sea-Tac airport. The video starts with images of what its like to work as a baggage handler for an airline, sometimes in the rainy weather. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose I guess. 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. (shown below). Someone sneak on board?, A man named Tyler Lucas wrote, Sitting on the runway at SeaTac, preparing for departure. Magazines, stole a plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Or create a free account to access more articles, 'Beebo Was Loved By Everyone.' I hope it doesnt ruin your day. Up until then, he had seemed torn between life and death, at least considering the possibility of attempting a landing or ditching the aircraft in the sea. The plane started moving, but Russell jumped in the plane and took off. On August 10, 2018, Mr. Russell, known as Beebo to his friends and family, helped himself to a Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 turboprop and took it on a 75-minute joyride. He sounds like a broken man who needed help. I just want you to whisper sweet nothings into my ear, said Rich, who claimed he could fly the plane because he played video games. Rainier. Lucas added, Theyve been in contact with the culprit. Its gonna be crazy, he said at one point in air traffic control transmissions. [15] Near the end of the flight, the aircraft was seen performing a barrel roll over Puget Sound, recovering a mere ten feet (three meters) over the water. Latest update from tower indicates no interest on his part to land the plane. Here's the full story. Mona Lazar. Happening right now. Second, psychiatric diagnosis also suggests simple solutions to complex problems: If he did it because he was mentally ill, we need more widely available mental health services.. Authorities said they dont think he had a pilots license and arent sure how he was able to take off, much less perform complicated tricks in the air like a barrel roll. At one point, Russell told a controller he had played a lot of video games. It may seem difficult for those watching at home to believe, but Beebo was a warm, compassionate man, the statement read. So many bags, he said. They wont let anyone leave the airport while hes up there. Russell was well-liked by his co-workers, according to The Seattle Times. 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. Would love your thoughts, please comment. At one point, the controller suggests he might be able to get a job as a pilot after this and Russell replies, "Nah, I'm a white guy." An airline employee conducted an unauthorized takeoff without passengers at Sea-Tac; aircraft has crashed in south Puget Sound. At one point in the dramatic audio, Richard Russell told the tower he was losing an engine. We decided to sell and move in 2015, because we were both so far removed from our families. Below are some of the clips. Old Medication, New Use: Can Prazosin Curb Drinking? In this season of life we enjoy exploring as much as possible, whether its a day (or so) trip to one of Alaska Airlines destinations, or visiting a new area of Washington. Ive got a lot of people that care about me. He had broken up with his girlfriend of 15 years and was having trouble finding steady work. Who Is The 'Sky King' Richard Russell And How Did He Earn His Title? Never really knew it, until now, Richard Russell said at one point. All Rights Reserved. After listening many times to the recordings, I found his voice - alternately warm, scared, and funny - to . It had first flown in 2012 and was delivered new to Horizon Air in the same year. He was very, very friendly automatically willing to bring everyone in, Hannah Holmes, who also participates in Young Life, told The Seattle Times. Facebook/YouTube "[42] During his conversation with air traffic control, Russell said he "[knew] what [he was] doing a little bit" because he had experience playing video games. 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. Yeah I dont know what the burnageis like on a takeoff but yeah. It is impossible to encompass who he was in a press release. Richard Russell was a suicidal airport ground services worker who stole an airplane from Sea-Tac International Airport. I met my husband when a friend sent him over to my house to cure my hiccoughs. 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. [37] From early childhood he was known as "Beebo" to his friends and family. 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 works as an assistant pastry chef and waitress, according to her social media account. 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 . He gradually drifted into controlled airspace near Los Angeles International Airport, causing some alarm both to the authorities and to the pilots of at least two commercial jets. Compilation of footage of the aircraft being flown erratically in the vicinity of Seattle, and the pursuing F-15s, News report featuring surveillance footage, Man Steals a Passenger Plane and Crashes it Just After Takeoff (With Real Video), Washington State University Global Campus, "National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Preliminary Report Accident Number: WPR18FA220", "Update on Investigation into Unauthorized Flight", "Alaska Air Horizon plane crashes after being stolen by airline employee", "How it unfolded: Full coverage of the Horizon Air crash and the man who stole the plane from Sea-Tac", "Stolen plane was chased by military jets before it crashed", "Crash: Horizon DH8D at Ketron Island on Aug 10th 2018, stolen aircraft crashed into forest", "Stolen plane closes Seattle-Tacoma airport before crashing", "Oregon F-15s Scramble To Seattle To Intercept Possibly Stolen Q400 Airliner (Updated)", "F-15Cs Intercept Stolen DASH-8 Airliner out of Seattle Tacoma Airport Before Crash", "LIVE: Plane stolen from Sea-Tac Airport crashes on small island; no passengers on board", "Pilot wanted to do aerobatics, apologized for his actions as he spoke with air traffic control", "NORAD F-15Cs intercept suicidal pilot in dramatic chase near Seattle", "Passenger Plane Stolen by Employee Crashes on Island Near Seattle Airport", "Seattle hijacker's plane heist, midair stunts and fiery crash expose gaps in aviation security", "Richard Russell, 'Rich': 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know", "Airline worker who stole plane told air traffic control 'I don't want to hurt no one', "SeaTac Hijacker Had the Skills to Take Out a Skyscraper Horizon Air ground handler Richard Russell knew how to fly without tearing the plane apartand enough fuel to be a flying bomb. Ah, Rich, dont say stuff like that, the controller said. An airline employee conducted an unauthorized takeoff without passengers at Sea-Tac; aircraft has crashed in south Puget Sound. However, late in the evening of August 10, 2018, tower audio indicated that some planes were being released. Hello, Love. He left no children. bit.ly/subAIRBOYD Various scanner recordings from liveatc.net and broadcastify.com SEA Ground, Tower, Departure/Approach. He was a quiet and well-liked young man who was active in his church. 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. In the coming days, articles about the incident were published in The New York Times,[4] CBS News[6] and The Washington Post. They turned him into a hero with the name, and with it came a lot of memes. Others said it was wrong to glorify him for an act that could have killed more people. Even the small sections, most of it doesnt resemble a plane.. 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. Was doing stunts in air or lack of flying skills caused crash into Island. The Sheriffs Department added, Two military F 15 chased plane but was not involved in crash and confirmed, No passengers on plane.. More information as we learn more, Alaska Airlines wrote on Twitter around 9:20 p.m. on the west coast. Maybe that will grease the gears a little bit with the higher-ups, he said at another point. Its burned quite a bit faster than I expected., He also said, Im gonna land it, in a safe kind of manner. He was manic-depressive. He was dubbed Sky King and tributes were offered to him. Perhaps it was because the only life he seemed to have taken was his own. Buy "Richard "SkyKing" Russell" by BogTron as a Sticker. Because I am a clinical psychologist, people come up to me after a news event like this and ask my opinion. At one point during the exchange, Russell said he knew how to put the landing gear down but that I really wasnt planning on landing it. Russel also told the controller that he was just a broken man.. The chilling footage of his final moments next shows Russell jumping onto the plane and presumably getting into the cockpit. How was he able to take off without being stopped? SKY KING 2: RETURN OF THE SKY KING https://t.co/2Uk1sA2oXQ. Richard Russell Steals a Horizon Air Q400 (Exclusive New Footage), On August 10, 2018, a Horizon ground operations employee by the name of Richard Bryan Russell Jr., stole a $32,000,000 Horizon Q400 airplane, N449QX, from the Cargo 1 / Line 1 area at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. On social media, Richard Russell used the name Beebo Russell. Although authorities have not released his name, The Seattle Times identified the man as Richard Russell. Maybe that will grease the gears a little bit with the higher-ups, he said at another point. 2007-2023 Literally Media Ltd. Terrorism was ruled out, and Russell was found to have acted alone. The federal agencies will lead the investigation. In 2018, a Horizon Air employee, Richard Russell, stole a plane with no prior flying experience, making international headlines. Polices ,ambulances ,& fire trucks are everywhere. Hannah and Beebo met at a Campus Crusade for Christ gathering at Southwestern Oregon Community College last year, the site reported. RIP Sky King, a user wrote. A football teammate suggested his mental instability had been caused by undiagnosed chronic traumatic encephalopathy that may have come from repeated concussions. According to Eckrote, the plane is highly fragmented and she said that a background investigation is underway to further clarify Richs motive. We consider ourselves bakery connoisseurs and have to try a new one every place we go. His website is filled with photos and videos of his travels and was previously linked to his Instagram account. You can listen to all of his SoundCloud clips here. The new footage appears to show Russell wearing a shirt that reads "The Sky's No Limit . I sure married a nice pair of calves! she joked with a photo of the couple. They said the family is moving forward with the difficult talk of processing our grief and asked for space to mourn. When I arrived, he was in the kitchen, in the middle of his Sunday morning ritual of cleaning his cleaning supplies. [23] The Q400 ultimately crashed at 20:43 local time[1] on Ketron Island in Puget Sound, Pierce County, Washington, killing the occupant and destroying the aircraft. Glenn Sullivan, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at the Virginia Military Institute and a clinical psychologist in private practice in Lexington, Virginia. In a video he posted for a college class in December, Russell joked about the sometimes mundane duties of his job. As of 2019[update], this clean up effort was still ongoing, with pieces of aircraft wreckage still being located on the island after the first anniversary of the incident. They may not admit for a few days. He worked at the airline for more than three years, authorities said. "[21] When an air traffic controller requested he land the plane after this maneuver, he said "I don't know. Now a family is left to reckon with tragedy, while strangers find grim inspiration in his final act. They deemed Russell the Sky King inspiring an outpouring of memes in his memorial and a possible copycat this September. Powered by. The airline confirmed that an unauthorized take-off occurred. She posted a series of selfies showing the couple on various adventures. Airport (@flySEA) August 11, 2018. He flew around as an air traffic controller calmly tried to reason with him. For the full details on "Sky King" meme and viral story, be sure to check out our entry on the meme here for even more information. That means I lift a lot of bags so many bags, he says. What happened from then, left a. Nine-tenths of them are from a lower socioeconomic class. We are working back ground on him now, the Pierce County Sheriff wrote. A former coworker, Rick Christenson, told The Seattle Times: He was a quiet guy. But is true.., Here is a statement from the family of Richard Russell, the Horizon Air employee who stole a plane, crashed it into Ketron Island.This is a complete shock to us. Perhaps the least we should do in the wake of such tragedies is to reflect upon the words attributed to Philo of Alexandria: Be kind, for everyone you meet is in the midst of a great struggle.. Beebo was loved by everyone because he was kind and gentle to each person he met. Videos posted to social media showed the other side of his skills. "[43] Some co-workers said that Russell had probably trained himself to fly using amateur flight simulation software. At another point, he says he's going to try to "do a barrel roll." Reviewed by Ekua Hagan. He would take my shifts if I needed. We are devastated by these events and Jesus is truly the only one holding this family together right now. pic.twitter.com/5z4BYRBrcU, Kierra Elfalan (@KierraElfalanTV) August 12, 2018. Human remains were recovered from the site, the FBI said Sunday, and Russell is presumed dead in the crash. They deemed Russell the Sky King inspiring an outpouring of memes in his memorial and a possible . The Russell family released a statement Saturday evening, saying they were stunned and heartbroken over the incident and the loss of aman they called Beebo. Apparently someone stole a plane from SeaTac? [20], On April 14, 2022, the FBI released 500 pages of previously classified documents related to the investigation. 7 Ticking Time Bombs That Destroy Loving Relationships, The Single Best (and Hardest) Thing to Give Up, 3 Ways to Reclaim Your Hope and Happiness. A lot of the people he was helping were troubled kids.. "[16][19] He added that he "wasn't really planning on landing it. It was worth it, he said, to conveniently travel to Alaska, where he grew up, to visit family. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed, the airport wrote. Monteith also recalled that Russell had been in the cockpit of an Embraer 175 with him, and that Russell asked him about his "flows, which is the preflight preparation I do for takeoff. USA TODAY. The incident resulted in Russell losing his life when he crashed on Ketron Island in Puget Sound, but people on sites like 4chan refused to let his story end there. A black family confronts a 70-year-old killing and a white mans exoneration, A Horizon Air employee described as suicidal stole an empty plane at Seattles airport and crashed it into a nearby island on Aug. 10. I lift a lot of bags. At one point, Rich asked for help in getting the cabin depressurized, complaining he was getting lightheaded. I love my parents and sister this isn't your fault. They are grounding all planes and waiting. A moniker quickly took hold, echoed by others. Today marks the third anniversary of the poetic death of Richard Russell, dubbed "Sky King," the young man who took an airplane for a glorious final flight. Russell flew wild loops over Puget Sound, screamed low over frightened onlookers and had existential and, at turns, bizarre chats with air traffic controllers as two Air Force F-15 jets gave chase. One man wrote on Twitter, Some dude stole a plane from #Seatac (Allegedly), did a loop-the-loop, ALMOST crashed into #ChambersBay, then crossed in front of our party, chased by fighter jets and subsequently crashed. I'm listening through the archive of the radio chatter on the #seatac hijacking. The sketch on Richard Russells WordPress page. by Will many of us have a better story to tell when we get to wherever were going, one Reddit user saidin a thread. The flight data recorder may show how well Russell managed the aircrafts myriad functions. Yeah I dont know what the burnageis like on a takeoff but yeah. The perpetrator, 29-year-old Richard Russell, was a Horizon Air ground service agent with no piloting experience. On August 10, 2018, a Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 was stolen from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) in Seattle, Washington. 0:00. We've received your submission. You can listen to more archived aviation audio on the incident here, some of which captures the mans voice: The site Airline Geeks.com reported, Reports saying that two F-15s have intercepted an Alaska Air Q400, operated by Horizon Air., The Twitter page Royal S. King wrote, On a lake in Tacoma and 2 F-15 have intercepted at @AlaskaAir Q400 south of @SeaTacAirport. Another man wrote, @flytruenorth Are you following this story?