I usually have to work outsidebut it allows me to do some pretty cool things too.. And part of his job was to drive the tractor that backed the aircraft into position for takeoff. Russell had no formal training as a pilot and did not have his pilots license. We are working back ground on him now, the Pierce County Sheriff wrote. KINGs Madison Wade reports. [10] According to reports, Patterson called 911 from the plane and threatened to crash it into a Mississippi Walmart. [12] Flights in and out of SeaTac Airport were temporarily suspended. [18] He was active in his church and a leader in the local Christian youth ministry Young Life. I think Im gonna try to do a barrel roll, and if that goes good, Im just gonna nose down and call it a night.. Phillip Hamilton. In a video he posted for a college class in December, Russell joked about the sometimes mundane duties of his job. The Sky King Richard Russell: Understanding Why He Died Wikipedia. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. The incident spawned numerous image macros, photoshops and fan arts on 4chan and other online communities. This story has been shared 176,044 times. After performing the stunt, along with other maneuvers, the plane crashed on Ketron Island in the Puget Sound. [37] During his communication with air traffic control, Russell made a complaint about wages, stating: "Minimum wage, we'll chalk it up to that. This is a complete shock to us. According to suicide prevention expert, Dr. Christine Moutier, middle-aged White men account for 70% of deaths from suicide each year. The general feeling was, "It is a wonder that more of us don't crack from the tedium and meaninglessness of our consumer culture." He spun a plane around Friday evening without raising suspicion and climbed aboard with 76 empty seats behind him. Russell wrote that he was pursuing his Bachelor of Social Sciences and hoped to work his way up to a management position at Horizon Air or to join the military or law enforcement. It may seem difficult for those watching at home to believe, but Beebo was a warm, compassionate man, the statement read. [20], On April 14, 2022, the FBI released 500 pages of previously classified documents related to the investigation. Others said it was wrong to glorify him for an act that could have killed more people. [36] He had been part of a tow team, which repositions aircraft on the airport apron, for about four years. [20] They married in 2012. I don't want to. Never really knew it, until now, Richard Russell said at one point. [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. 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. This story has been shared 110,450 times. He could have envisioned an aerial joyride and return to the ground. Airport (@flySEA) August 11, 2018. I was kind of hoping that was gonna be it, you know? Now a family is left to reckon with tragedy, while strangers find grim inspiration in his final act. Never really knew it, until now.". They deemed Russell the Sky King inspiring an outpouring of memes in his memorial and a possible copycat this September. [1][7][8][9] In response, two McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagles of the Oregon Air National Guard's 142nd Fighter Wing under the command of NORAD[10] were scrambled at around 20:15 local time[11] from Portland Air National Guard Base to intercept it. Maybe that will grease the gears a little bit with the higher-ups, he said at another point. 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. 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. I suspect that most of the time they want to hear some kind of post-mortem diagnosis: He was a paranoid schizophrenic. The flight data recorder may show how well Russell managed the aircrafts myriad functions. [20] A veteran pilot said the maneuver "seemed pretty well executed, without either stalling or pulling the wings off. I got a lot of people that care about me. You went out the way most of us dream, one user wrote. Many people online compared the incident to 2018's incident with Richard Russell, calling Patterson "Sky King 2.0" or "Sky King 2. 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. More recently, he listed his occupation as operations agent for Horizon Air at Sea-Tac since April 2018. Terrorism was ruled out, and Russell was found to have acted alone. Magazines, Digital Russell, who was a ground service employee for Horizon Air and did not have a pilots license, took the twin-engine turboprop plane from a maintenance area where it was parked at the airport. (@luketadams) August 11, 2018. Audio from the SeaTac tower reported that aircraft were lined up on the tarmac at one point. Someone sneak on board?, A man named Tyler Lucas wrote, Sitting on the runway at SeaTac, preparing for departure. Patterson did not end up flying the plane into Walmart, instead landing it in a nearby field where he was arrested. As Melville noted, We are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending., Be wary of simple explanations of any human behavior, and of simple solutions for complex problems. The statement, he added, was the only one that will be released. Russell told air traffic controllers that he was a broken guy with a few screws loose, but also that he wanted to avoid injuring innocent people. Audio captured emotional conversations between the man, named as Rich, and air traffic controllers trying to help him land safely. Richard Russell plane crash video was released. They wont let anyone leave the airport while hes up there. [39] He attended Wasilla High School, where he wrestled and competed in track and field. This is a Tribute Video to the late Richard Russell, better known as the Sky King. He was a quiet and well-liked young man who was active in his church. 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. Russell, the sole occupant of the aircraft, perished in the crash. 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.. Russell, a ground services worker for Horizon Air, was permitted to get very close to passenger aircraft. 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. He preciously worked as a ground service agent at Horizon from 2015 to present. [12] His flight pattern was also shared online, with Twitter[13] user @RMaons writing, "SKY KING 2.0 ON FLIGHT RADAR, AIRCRAFT IS CALLED KING AIR LOOOL" (shown below, right). Its going to disappoint them to hear I did this, he hauntingly said before his death. [37], Horizon Air CEO Gary Beck stated that, as far as the company knew, Russell did not have a pilot's license. I hope this prompts a nationwide discussion about mental healthcare overall. The federal agencies will lead the investigation. [5] A nearby Alaska Airlines jet on the ground reported that the aircraft began a takeoff roll with its wheels smoking,[5] and an unauthorized take-off was made at 19:32 local time (02:32 UTC, August 11). Who Is The 'Sky King' Richard Russell And How Did He Earn His Title? Live aviation audio from the tower said, at one point, that dispatchers were urging Rich Russell to try to land that airplane safely and not hurt anybody while dealing with a snarl of stalled planes on the ground. Hey all! "[20], Rolling Stone magazine investigated the incident and reported in 2021 that some of Russell's friends and family believe he may have suffered brain injuries during his football years in high school and college. 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. 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. According to Eckrote, the plane is highly fragmented and she said that a background investigation is underway to further clarify Richs motive. Now, in new footage of the moments before he took off, the 29-year-old can be seen walking through airport security with a The Skys No Limit T-shirt. So many bags, he said. 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. Its burned quite a bit faster than I expected., He also said, Im gonna land it, in a safe kind of manner. No one else is thought to have been injured or killed, and the fighter jets did not fire on him, authorities said. This video is not meant to glamorize suicide. We are aware of an incident involving an unauthorized take-off of a Horizon Air Q400. Will many of us have a better story to tell when we get to wherever were going, one Reddit user saidin a thread. 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. Richard "SkyKing" Russell Sticker by BogTron - Redbubble "What can you expect," some said, "when you take people whose great-great-grandparents were pioneers, grizzly bear hunters, and city-builders and make them baggage handlers, call center operators, and sales clerks?" Monteith stated the men told him they were training to use the aircraft's auxiliary power unit so they could tow it, but said it was "suspicious" that they left when he confronted them. The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long, another said. Stay tuned., Richard Russell, Rich: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Around 9 PM Pacific Time on August 10th, a 29-year-old man named Richard Russell, stole a Q400 airplane from Seattle Tacoma International Airport and went for a joyride into the abyss. Beebo was loved by everyone because he was kind and gentle to each person he met. Quite a scary experience. Without Him we would be hopeless. Although official accounts other than through live aviation audio were hard to come by at first, many passengers took to social media to report that pilots were telling them a man had stolen a plane. 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. Oh- theyve probably got anti-aircraftnot quite ready to bring it down just yet. 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. Periodically, his voice cut into the dispatches. August 10, 2021 by Kirk Forlatt. RIP to the SkyKing. But that flight was his last. Sky King / Richard Russell | Know Your Meme pic.twitter.com/ziBAYv7cgn, Jimmy Thomson (@jwsthomson) August 11, 2018. We love you bud. We decided to sell and move in 2015, because we were both so far removed from our families. About 1 hour and 15 minutes after takeoff, Russell died by intentionally crashing the aircraft on lightly populated Ketron Island in Puget Sound. "Got a few screws loose, I guess. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. #SeaTac @king5 #ketron #dupont #andersonisland pic.twitter.com/78LC5PXKhU, Katreichel (@Katreichelart) August 11, 2018, The Sheriffs Department also wrote: Told F 15s made it within a few minutes of theft of plane. 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. [41] They sold the bakery in 2015 so his wife could be closer to her family; they settled in Sumner, Washington, and Russell found employment with Horizon Air. They turned him into a hero with the name, and with it came a lot of memes. [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. 2007-2023 Hey all! Never really knew it until now. . They opened a bakery and ran it for three years before selling it in 2015 to be closer to Hannahs family. I lift a lot of bags. That means I lift a lot of bags so many bags, he says. [39] He was an avid traveler and attended Washington State University Global Campus, majoring in social science. On Instagram, Hannah Russell posted recent photos with Rich. Facebook/YouTube On YouTube, he also went by the name Beebo Russell. In the audio clips, Russell calls himself "broken" and says he knows how to fly a little bit thanks to video games. People expressed an emotional connection with him through postings on social media, T-shirts, and tribute songs. 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. The man, known as Rich in air traffic control audio and dubbed the sky king on Twitter, broke hearts on social media as people followed the unauthorized flight before it came to a fatal end. Russell is then seen walking into a restricted area meant for baggage handlers, getting onto a tarmac tow vehicle, and dragging the plane he was set to steal onto the runway. The video shows Russell wearing a shirt that reads The skys no limit, as he passed through security at the airport, where he worked. 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. About. Phone scammers tried to rob a grandma in Canada. Now video was released. 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. 2007-2023 Literally Media Ltd. The man, known as Rich in air traffic control audio and dubbed the sky king on Twitter, broke hearts on social media as people followed the unauthorized flight before it came to a fatal end. Public acts of violence such as mass shootings often reflect the perpetrators troubled, dark past. Known as Beebo to family and friends, Russell was in his youth a gregarious, outgoing star athlete at Wasilla High School in Alaska, according to The Anchorage Daily News, running track and wrestling. USA TODAY. He is not a pilot and does not know how to land the plane. Magazines, stole a plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Or create a free account to access more articles, 'Beebo Was Loved By Everyone.' Or that he appeared to be a happy, regular guy. 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. My names Richard Russell, Im 27 and currently living in Sumner, WA with my incredible wife Hannah. The incident spawned numerous image macros, photoshops and fan arts on 4chan . 2018 Horizon Air Q400 incident - Wikipedia The family of a man who authorities say stole an airplane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Friday and died when he later crashed the aircraft said they were . The man who stole a commercial aeroplane in Seattle, and took his life by crashing it, has become a folk hero to neo-Nazi groups and incels, drafted into a poisonous delusion that is becoming mainstream. [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]. The hardest part of stealing a commercial plane from an international airport was already over for Richard Russell. The final descent at Ketron Island was determined to be intentional, and suicide was listed as the manner of death. A former coworker, Rick Christenson, told The Seattle Times: He was a quiet guy. My names Richard Russell, Im 27 and currently living in Sumner, WA with my incredible wife Hannah. His performance there was a disappointment; he left for Southwestern Oregon Community College, where he met his wife at a Campus Crusade for Christ meeting. Tilden said that air traffic control was immediately aware that Russells take off in the aircraft was an unauthorized departure.. The day of the incident, a thread on 4chan's /pol/[14] board about the incident gained over 470 posts. On social media, Richard Russell used the name Beebo Russell. (If you need help, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.). I had this dream for 20 years, and if I hadnt done it, I think I would have ended up in the funny farm. That is an example of what we clinicians call good insight.. He worked at the airline for more than three years, authorities said. This dives into the psychology and reason of why he Hi-jacked a plane and then crashed into his death. Richard Russell Plane Crash Video From Seattle, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Ah, minimum wage. It was recovered along with the cockpit voice recorder, authorities said Sunday, amid a streak of disintegrated debris. pic.twitter.com/Ra4LcIhwfU. ", Currently we have a 29yr old who stole this plane & is threatening to crash it into something. ", "Plane Thief Said He Trained on Games, Didn't Plan to Land", "NORAD: Fighter jets were trying to direct stolen plane over Pacific Ocean when it crashed", "Towboat crew dropped everything to respond to Ketron Island crash", "Firefighters battle more than flames after Ketron Island plane crash", "Seattle plane crash: 'heartbroken' family remember gentle man who meant no harm", "Ketron Island residents grateful Horizon Air plane didn't crash into homes", "Thanks to everyone for sharing accurate information, insuring the public's safety. Never knew he was fighting a battle non of us knew about. 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. Apparently someone stole a Horizon Q and is flying it over SeaTac. by Richard "Beebo" Russell: Sky King (throwback stolen - TigerDroppings Richard "Beebo" Russell grew up in Alaska, but moved around and got married before he ended his life in Washington when he stole a passenger airplane and crashed it on a Puget Sound island.
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