No one else is thought to have been injured or killed, and the fighter jets did not fire on him, authorities said. On behalf of the family, we are stunned and heartbroken. To impress a woman, he arrived in a helicopter to take her on a classified mission, officials said. 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. The perpetrator, 29-year-old Richard Russell, was a Horizon Air ground service agent with no piloting experience. 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.. Below are some of the clips. 2007-2023 Literally Media Ltd. On July 2, 1982, a 33-year-old truck driver named Larry Walters took flight in a patio chair attached to more than 40 helium-filled weather balloons. Buy "Richard "SkyKing" Russell" by BogTron as a Sticker. Weird times., CBS News reporter Kris Van Cleave wrote, FAA sources say it appears an airline employee stole a Horizon Air Turbo Prop from SeaTac and took off and crashed Ketron Island outside Seattle. He shared a tweet from a woman named Victoria, who wrote, Sitting on a plane at SeaTac Airport, a Horizon employee just hijacked an airplane. I was born in Key West, Florida, and moved to Wasilla, Alaska when I was 7. Two F-15 fighter planes were scrambled to follow Rich, who eventually crashed into a wooded area a little over an hour after takeoff, killing only himself. This article was published more than4 years ago. They wont let anyone leave the airport while hes up there. Periodically, his voice cut into the dispatches. On August 10, 2018, a Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 was stolen from SeattleTacoma International Airport (SeaTac) in Seattle, Washington. Unclear if passengers are on board. 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. Airport (@flySEA) August 11, 2018. 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. What happened from then, left a. And in recordings of conversations with air traffic controllers, Russell joked and laughed, though he was at times contemplative and raw. Richard Russell was a suicidal airport ground services worker who stole an airplane from Sea-Tac . If he was bipolar and did that, then I dont have to worry about doing that, because Im not bipolar. That is something that they do. We are working back ground on him now, the Pierce County Sheriff wrote. His conversation with controllers revealed limited experience. Richard Russell was a suicidal airport ground services worker who stole an airplane from Sea-Tac International Airport. Ive played some video games before.. Mourners gathered in the comments section of his YouTube video. Who is the aircraft on Runway 1-6 center? an air traffic controller can be heard saying. After attempting the aircraft took off, two F-15 fighter jets were deployed. At another point, Richard Russell said, Im down to 2100; I started at like 30-something.. That means I lift a lot of bags so many bags, he says. Apparently someone stole a plane from SeaTac? The incident came to a tragic end when Russell intentionally crashed the plane into Ketron Island in Puget Sound, killing him. It was recovered along with the cockpit voice recorder, authorities said Sunday, amid a streak of disintegrated debris. People expressed an emotional connection with him through postings on social media, T-shirts, and tribute songs. 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." Filed under Newly released CCTV footage captures the harrowing moment a Washington state airport employee stole an Alaska Airlines plane and took it for a joyride before fatally crashing it. I feel really bad for Richard and for his family. Meanwhile, various tributes to Russell were uploaded to YouTube (shown below). In 1993, Lawnchair Larry Walters was named an At-Risk Survivor in the annual Darwin Awards. My names Richard Russell, Im 27 and currently living in Sumner, WA with my incredible wife Hannah. The libs are trying to solve the housing crisis in deep blue areas by having teachers live with their students. Phone scammers tried to rob a grandma in Canada. [40] He was a hard-hitting football fullback in high school, scoring six touchdowns in his senior year, after which he moved to North Dakota to join the football team at Valley City State University. He spun a plane around Friday evening without raising suspicion and climbed aboard with 76 empty seats behind him. 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? Hey all! 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 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. Russell, a ground services worker for Horizon Air, was permitted to get very close to passenger aircraft. Richard Russell, 29, hijacked a 76-seater plane from Seattle-Tacoma on Friday. [33], On November 9, the FBI stated that it had completed its investigation. As the voice recordings show, Beebos intent was not to harm anyone and he was right in saying that there are so many people who love him.. People like me dont do things like that. Full video form John Waldron on Facebook being shown on CNN #seatac pic.twitter.com/R98bl5uQBr. Its gonna be crazy, he tells traffic control, according to the video provided to local Seattle news outlet KOIN. He tilted the wings and rumbled low over Puget Sound. Its burned quite a bit faster than I expected., He also said, Im gonna land it, in a safe kind of manner. ATC said, "they would give you a job doing anything if you could pull this off", to which he replied, "Yeah right! Or that he appeared to be a happy, regular guy. "[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. At one point, Rich reported that he threw up all over the cockpit, according to the audio. His familys brief statement did not address any potential mental health issues. Ah, Rich, dont say stuff like that, the controller said. My names Richard Russell, Im 27 and currently living in Sumner, WA with my incredible wife Hannah. 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, the Olympic Mountains). How I've Made $280k Selling Spreadsheets on Etsy. On LinkedIn, he wrote that he was owner/operator of Hannah Maries Bakery from 2012 through 2015 in North Bend, Oregon. "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. You couldnt even tell it was a plane except for some of the bigger sections, like the wing section, western Pacific region chief Debra Eckrote said. Tulepo Police Chief John Quaka told CNN that Patterson had "some flight instruction" but was still in training. 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. Keep the aircraft nice and low, the tower responded to the man at one point, advising him to keep it over the water. The Sky King of Sea-Tac Airport. 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. Here's the full story. HiIm a ground service agent. RIP Sky King, a user wrote. Apparently someone stole a Horizon Q and is flying it over SeaTac. [4][6][9] A tow boat crew was the first to respond. This story has been shared 110,450 times. Maybe that will grease some gears a little bit with the higher-ups. 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. I met Hannah in Coos Bay, Oregon in 2010 while we were both going to school, the about me section says. Russells social media accounts have become funeral guestbooks, digitized for the world. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed, the airport wrote. The story, despite seeming near-mythic, is true. 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.. The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long, another said. But he mentioned video games during his recorded conversation with air traffic control, which some have taken as a reference to flight simulator software. On YouTube, he also went by the name Beebo Russell. Mona Lazar. They said the family is moving forward with the difficult talk of processing our grief and asked for space to mourn. Maybe that will grease the gears a little bit with the higher-ups, he said at another point. 2:18. He is not a pilot and does not know how to land the plane. Powered by. in. Now video was released. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose I guess. Gary Beck, chief executive of Horizon Air, told reporters Saturday that the acrobatics and maneuvers, including barrel rolls and one loop that brought Russell feet from the waters surface, wereincredible.. 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. Im going to disappoint them to hear that I did this. Aw man, those guys would rough me up if I tried landing there, Rich says. 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. In the coming days, articles about the incident were published in The New York Times,[4] CBS News[6] and The Washington Post. Its not clear how he pulled off the intense maneuvers captured on video. Happy to read and share the best inspirational Sky King Richard Russell quotes, sayings and quotations on Wise Famous Quotes. Videos posted to social media showed the other side of his skills. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed, the airport wrote. To the consternation of friends gathered to witness the launch, he quickly ascended out of sight and climbed to an altitude of 16,000 feet. Powered by. After listening many times to the recordings, I found his voice - alternately warm, scared, and funny - to . 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. [25][26] No injuries were reported to residents of the sparsely populated island despite the crash site being in close proximity to at least one cabin, which was occupied at the time of the incident. The footage shows him going through security wearing a T-shirt that says "the sky's no limit." To be honest with you, commercial aircraft are complex machines. At one point, Rich asked for help in getting the cabin depressurized, complaining he was getting lightheaded. PostedSeptember 24, 2018 SeaTac airport., Morgan Chesky, a reporter for KOMO News, wrote, Per JBLM source: After being contacted by F-15s, stolen plane began to nose dive, crashing in north Pierce County., NTSB investigator Debra Eckrote held a Saturday morning press conference, the day after the crash, and indicated that investigators are trying to determine what his process was and where the aircraft was going. She identified Rich as ground support so, you know, they have access to aircraft, and described it as lucky that the plane crashed on a very underpopulated island.. Heres hoping that the next Rich crashes on a couch of a good listener. [29] An operational supervisor for Horizon Air described Russell as "a quiet guy" who was "well liked by the other workers". Stay tuned., Richard Russell, Rich: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. He would have flipped overhead switches and set the propellers of the Bombardier Q400 spinning before he roared away from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Nah, I'm a white guy. Nah, Im a white guy. That last line has caused some controversy online. Before takeoff, the pilot explains someone stole an airplane, and is flying around near Mt. He attended Washington State Global University Campus from 2016-2017, seeking a bachelors degree in social science. I lift a lot of bags. Russell had no formal training as a pilot and did not have his pilots license. I hope this prompts a nationwide discussion about mental healthcare overall. Richard Russell, a ground control agent, died after he stole the plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airportin August 2018 and drove it into the ground of a remote island in the Puget Sound, authorities said at the time. So I dont know how he achieved the experience that he did.. | Magazines, stole a plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Or create a free account to access more articles, 'Beebo Was Loved By Everyone.' Old Medication, New Use: Can Prazosin Curb Drinking? The hardest part of stealing a commercial plane from an international airport was already over for Richard Russell. Hijacker does not know how to land the plane. [20], Russell's family released a statement on August 11, stating they were "stunned and heartbroken" and "devastated by the events". [46][47], N449QX, the aircraft involved in the incident, pictured 2 months before the crash. In one blog, he describedaspirations to land a management job or join the military. Below are some of the clips. 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. Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC, Psychology and the Mystery of the "Poisoned" Schoolgirls. According to Eckrote, the plane is highly fragmented and she said that a background investigation is underway to further clarify Richs motive. "[17] He asked ATC if he could get a job as a pilot with Alaska Airlines if he successfully landed the aircraft. Patterson did not end up flying the plane into Walmart, instead landing in a field where he was arrested. There is the runway just about a mile off your right side, do you see that? Posted Sep 24, 2018. I hope they can make it through this. He said that airline employees go through background checks. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed. Glenn Sullivan, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at the Virginia Military Institute and a clinical psychologist in private practice in Lexington, Virginia. bit.ly/subAIRBOYD Various scanner recordings from liveatc.net and broadcastify.com SEA Ground, Tower, Departure/Approach. (@luketadams) August 11, 2018. Literally Media Ltd. Hey all! In a final video that he posted to YouTube, Rich Russell showed an active life full of travel and adventure. He had psychotic depression. in correct chronological orderthis took pIace over about 75 minutes. When I heard that Mr. Russells aircraft had gone down, I thought, The poor bastard. And then I thought, How many tens of thousands of people are out there who are just like him?, Larry Walters and Rich Russell were people just like us. He worked at the airline for more than three years, authorities said. I usually have to work outsidebut it allows me to do some pretty cool things too.. Many saw Russell as a man suffering from depression and sympathized with him. No one else is thought to have been injured or killed, and the fighter jets did not fire . This is "Sky King ~ Richard Russell" by Nibbus Jimmus on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. He played athletics in high school in Wasilla, Alaska. The incident spawned numerous image macros, photoshops and fan arts on 4chan and other online communities. I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. 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. (shown below). Footage of Patterson flying the plane went viral on social media and people quickly started comparing it to the 2018 Sky King incident. sky king, sky king memes, richard russell, 4chan, sky king 2, based. We consider ourselves bakery connoisseurs and have to try a new one every place we go. The equipment was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board for processing. He and his wife had owned a bakery in Oregon but sold it to move closer to her family. Seattle-Tacoma Intl. I hope they can make it through this. He said that airline employees go through background checks. Sea-Tac airport confirmed the plane was down a short time later. After five hours, he arrived in a tow vehicle near the plane. "Heroes" - Peter Gabriel The plane was grounded for the night after returning from Victoria, B.C., which was its final scheduled flight of the day. But there appears to be no manifesto, no digital trail of warning signs from Russell. They may not admit for a few days. 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. The video shows Russell wearing a shirt that reads The skys no limit, as he passed through security at the airport, where he worked. 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. Now a family is left to reckon with tragedy, while strangers find grim inspiration in his final act. We are devastated by these events and Jesus is truly the only one holding this family together right now.
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