By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. 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. 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. Join the Celebration of a Lifetime! .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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Not long before the crash, a pilot who'd been helping controllers advise Russell appears to mention the maneuver. Foote served four and a half months in the brig and later went on to become a test pilot in civilian life. He eventually climbs inside the cockpit and fires up the engine. "I always felt bad for the guys and gals who handled luggage. His responsibilities included towing and pushing aircraft for takeoff and gate approach, de-icing them, and handling baggage. 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. and last updated 2018-08-12 08:56:01-04. 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. The plane didn't require a key, but it did require buttons and switches to be activated in a particular order. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Scroll down to continue . In a final video project set to cheery music, Russell included selfies from airport grounds and photos from his many trips. On Friday, Horizon Air ground service agent .css-3wjtm9{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.125rem;text-decoration-color:#1c6a65;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-3wjtm9:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Richard B. Russell got in one of the airlines Bombardier Q400 aircraft and took off from Seattles SeaTac Airport. He said he wanted to create projects showing the contrast between his hard work on the ground and his high-flying free time traveling the globe. "So, (he) had some knowledge but clearly wasn't a commercial pilot.". May 23, 1969. KINGs Madison Wade reports. Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC Watch more NBC video: http://bit.ly/MoreNBCNewsNBC News Digital is a collection of innovative and powerful news brands that deliver compelling, diverse and engaging news stories. 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. 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. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. Nah, Im a white guy.. At one point, he apologizes and says he is a "broken guy" with "a few screws loose. 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 rest of Mr Russell's time in the air was well documented, thanks to his regular contact with SeaTac's tower. But could you start a left-hand turn, please?". Despite the timing of the crash during prime fire season, the fires in the video seemed to be small and scattered. Neither the men nor the plane has ever been seen again. 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. 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. 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. Win Your Trip to Our 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards! The FBI will lead the investigation, said Eckrote, the NTSB regional chief. Author: Elisa Hahn Published: 11/14/2018 5:51:22 PM "He was a quiet guy," Rick Christenson, an operational supervisor with the airline who retired in Maytold The Seattle Times. He left prison after less than 5 years, on parole. A Russian Air Force engineer made off with an Antonov An-26 transport plane from Kubinka Air Force Base near Moscow. It was empty, parked at a Seattle-Tacoma International Airport cargo and . Relatives of Richard Russell say they are "stunned and heartbroken" after the airline worker stole a passenger plane Friday from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and was killed when he crashed 25 miles away. Officials don't believe Russell had a pilot's license, and they don't know how he knew to fly the plane. 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. Russell's family said in a statement that they were stunned and heartbroken. Russell echoed those claims in his last conversation with air traffic control. First published on August 11, 2018 / 4:48 PM. August 13, 2018 / 5:34 AM That includes both domestic and international flights. Plus we let you know whats going on locally with Lee Callahans Jacktivities! After Russell performed an unauthorized takeoff, two McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle fighters were scrambled to intercept the aircraft. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. That includes both domestic and international flights. "Last night's event is going to push us to learn what we can from this tragedy so that we can ensure this does not happen again at Alaska Air Group or at any other airline," Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Airlines, told a news conference Saturday. 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? Relatives of Richard Russell say they are "stunned and heartbroken" after the airline worker stole a passenger plane Friday from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and was killed when. 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. Meyer had recently been passed over for promotion and had been arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Mr Russell's aerial joyride ultimately ended in a fiery crash on a remote island in Puget Sound. "If you're going to access the aircraft you make sure that you check with someone else, and that someone else (will confirm) that you have the right authority to get onto that aircraft.". It was empty, parked at a Seattle-Tacoma International Airport cargo and maintenance area for the night after arriving from Victoria, British Columbia, earlier in the day. Padilla and an a recently hired assistant boarded the plane, taxied it to the runway, took off, and head out over the Atlantic Ocean. Ben Charles Padilla, an aircraft mechanic who held a private pilots license and was a certified flight engineer, was repairing a 727 airliner in Luanda, Angola for a Florida-based company named Aerospace Sales and Leasing. 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. While in the air, Meyer, whod been married eight weeks before, called his wife and said, Guess what? "Yeah, he knew how to fly," she continued. I mean, I would hope it is, for a guy like me. Investigators on Saturday were trying to retrieve the plane's flight data recorder and its cockpit voice recorder. All rights reserved. By Jeff Wise Published: Aug 13, 2018 JASON REDMOND // Getty Images They said it's not clear whether he had ever taken flight lessons or used flight simulators, or where he gained the skills to take off. "We are devastated by these events, and Jesus is truly the only one holding this family together right now. Win Tickets to Weezer with Spoon and White Reaper at White River Amphitheater on August 20th! "Tower, you need to call and scramble now," one Alaska Air pilot called out. He was right in saying that there are so many people who have loved him.". The perpetrator, 29-year-old Richard Russell, was a Horizon Air ground service agent with no piloting experience. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Every time I traveled I would look out my plane window and see these sullen looking individuals leisurely pacing around, or hectically throwing bags into a cart. appreciated. Video from Friday showed the Horizon Air Q400 doing large loops and other dangerous maneuvers as the sun set on the Puget Sound. 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. The incident came about when a 29-year-old man stole an aircraft from Seattle-Tacoma International airport in August 2018. 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. July 4, 1986. How was a man able to steal and pilot a plane? John Waldron was walking along a trail near the bay when he noticed the two military jets following a plane doing aerobatics. July 13, 1994. Maybe that will grease some gears with the higher up, Russell said to air traffic controllers. 4.3M views 7 months ago A newly released video sheds new light on the moments leading up to Richard Russell crashing a plane. 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.