In fact, there have been a number of occurrences in recent decades in which ground personnel made off with aircraft. Richard Russell Stole a Plane in Seattle and Crashed It. How'd He Learn Join the Celebration of a Lifetime! CCTV Footage Shows Baggage Handler Stealing Plane, Crashes On Island - TMZ A curious and ultimately tragic story from 2018 finally has a little more context, thanks to security camera footage. The FBI will lead the investigation, said Eckrote, the NTSB regional chief. But the plane made turns and aerobatic maneuvers that suggest some skill, she said. strangest, scariest, most bizarre events of 2018. Russell was "tow certified" and had full security access, and had been with the company for three and a half years, CBS News' Jamie Yuccas reports. Copyright 2018 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. Video released to KOMO News from the Port of Seattle capture the final moments of Richard Russell who took a Horizon Air plane from SeaTac Airport without authorization, performed acrobatic. ", Russell posted collages of photos from his trips around the world, writing that travel was "what keeps me going in the most unfavorable circumstances.". "Russell was known as a quiet guy who read a lot," according to one witness statement. The tower alerted the Portland Air National Guard base, which dispatched a group of US Air Force F-15s to intercept the rouge aircraft. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, On the day of his tragic flight, Mr Russell wore a shirt that said The Sky is No Limit, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile, Air Traffic Control audio reveals conversation with man who stole Alaska Airlines plane. All Rights Reserved. Richard B. Russell reportedly stole a Horizon Air plane for a joyride before crashing and killing himself near Seattle. After the plane approached Ketron Island, Waldron saw a thick column of smoke followed by a loud explosion, he said. Lastly, we've been reporting a lot only on the most famous case of suspected pilot suicide, Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, and this weekend's tragedy bears at least a few similarities. First published on August 11, 2018 / 4:48 PM. CNN's Kyung Lah reports.. Without communicating to air traffic controllers, he cut off another airplane and then managed to get the plane onto the runway and airborne. "My husband and I are recently former Boeing employees, and we were wondering why a jet was near the passenger airplane," she said. Human remains were found in wake of Friday's tragic plane crash. He complimented the controller: "You are very calm, collect, poised," he said. In a humorous YouTube video he posted last year, he talked about his job and included videos and photos of his travels. A Russian Air Force engineer made off with an Antonov An-26 transport plane from Kubinka Air Force Base near Moscow. KIRO 7 spoke with Russells friend and former co-worker Robert Reeves who said Russell was a hard worker who loved aviation, but he admits Russell was unhappy with his pay. KIRO 7 News Seattle facebook feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle twitter feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle youtube feed(Opens a new window), Who was Richard Russell? New video shows fiery scene of stolen plane crash on Ketron Island NBC News Digital features NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, TODAY.com, Nightly News, Meet the Press, Dateline, and the existing apps and digital extensions of these respective properties. "This is a complete shock to us," the family said in a statement Saturday night. Richard Russell Plane Crash Video Explained The footage shows him going through security wearing a T-shirt. "There is a runway just off to your right side in about a mile," the controller says, reffering to an airfield at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Horizon's parent company, Alaska Airlines, refused to comment on claims of workers being overworked or underpaid. 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. . The plane didn't require a key, but it did require buttons and switches to be activated in a particular order. But the plane slammed into tiny Ketron Island, a sparsely populated island southwest of Tacoma. He was in the air for about an hour. It did not elaborate. Richard "Beebo" Russell, the Horizon Air employee who stole a plane from Sea-Tac Airport on Friday night, performed midair acrobatics over Puget Sound and then crashed into an island, was an. After proceeding through the pre-flight checklist and moving the pushback tractor, Mr Russell began rolling the plane toward a runway. Mr Russell's aerial joyride ultimately ended in a fiery crash on a remote island in Puget Sound. 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. I don't need that much help. The 76-seat Horizon Air turboprop plane took off without authorization at 7:32 p.m. local time Friday, with Russell, who was not a pilot, at the controls, officials said. The man has been identified as Richard Russell, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation confirmed to CNN on Saturday night. I was kinda hoping that was going to be it. Richard Russell, 'Rich': 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know Richard Russell: Authorities don't believe man who stole Dash-8 Q400 A 777 Nearly Plunged Into the Ocean After Takeoff, In audio recordings released over the internet, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. The rest of Mr Russell's time in the air was well documented, thanks to his regular contact with SeaTac's tower. Videos Show Richard Russell's Final Moments Before Shocking Plane Crash "Never really knew it till now," he said. 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. Richard Russell said he didn't need much help: 'I've played some video 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. "But the air traffic controller had to tell him how to set what they call the 'bugs' -- they're just little, sort of, little levers, or little notches on your indicator for your heading, which is kind of basic. The reason I left is in February of 2016 they were short staffed and they had me run three planes in the same time, Reeves said. The Port of Seattle just released the CCTV footage of 29-year-old Richard Russell towing the Alaska Airlines' Q400 Turboprop into position back in 2018 at the Seattle-Tacoma International. "Everyone was literally frozen in place, muttering about what possibly happened," he said. It was empty, parked at a Seattle-Tacoma International Airport cargo and . Russell was recorded having multiple conversations with air traffic controllers who were trying to talk him into landing. In a final video project set to cheery music, Russell included selfies from airport . New video released Wednesday shows what first responders found after a plane stolen from Sea-Tac Airport crashed on a south Puget Sound island last August. The jets' capability was appropriate to the potential task, one of the sources said, without offering details. When Rolling Stone published its article last year, no major regulatory or security changes had been implemented in response to Russells deadly flight. 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. The photos provided some of the most compelling images: tree trunks sheared in half by the impact of the crash and parts of the Horizon Air Q400 Turboprop littered throughout the debris field. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. F-15s were scrambled out of their base at Portland International Airport to intercept the plane. 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Richard Russell plane crash video from Sea-Tac | wltx.com It's gonna be crazy," Mr Russel said. 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. and last updated 2018-08-12 08:56:01-04. He first can be seen wandering through security, and is spotted again later on the tarmac. The plane was a Bombardier Q400, a turboprop that seats 76 people, owned by Horizon Air, part of Alaska Airlines. A ground service agent's tasks don't involve touching planes' controls, CNN aviation analyst Mary Schiavo said. The black boxes are now being sent to the National Transportation Safety Board for processing. "I always felt bad for the guys and gals who handled luggage. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. I've played some video games before," Russell responds. He managed to proceed with his plan unmolested largely because no one thought twice about the baggage handler working in the airport's restricted spaces. SeaTac's tower began asking who was piloting the airplane, which culminated in the first of Mr Russell's exchanges with control that day. New video shows crash site of stolen plane | CNN Cooper? Find flight for cheapWith its premium plus plan, youll be able to browse flight deals going for up to 90% off in business, premium economy, and economy class. Did you encounter any technical issues? "There is a protocol to not allow anyone singularly to get onboard an aircraft," Soucie said. Hell of a crime spree for a 19 year old. He was killed in the crash. President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident and is monitoring the situation, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Saturday morning. It's unclear exactly what Mr Russell is doing during this time, but he eventually takes control of a pushback tug and readies the Alaska Air plane for takeoff. Earlier in the flight, Russell says: "This is probably, like, jail time for life, huh? The body camera and cell phone video shows firefighters climbing through dense brush and fallen trees to get to the crash site on Ketron Island. Im coming home! But it was not to be. Music from Green Day, Michael Jackson, Queen, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, Madonna, Pearl Jam, Fleetwood Mac, and more! ", "I've got a lot of people that care about me," the man later said. 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. So many bags," he said. Russell, a 3-1/2-year Horizon employee, worked as a ground service agent. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? 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. .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. Siddiq Saunderson Moved to L.A. and Immediately Bought a Prius, Millennials and Zillennials Can't Get Enough of Manual Transmissions, Dollar Flight Club Premium Plus (Lifetime Subscription), Tesla Investor Day 2023 Was Pretty Great if You Ignored Elon. The agency says the 28-year-old's loved ones hosted an intervention for him, who "seemed fine" besides increased drinking. Some speculated the plane was stolen as part of an insurance scam, or perhaps taken by terrorists who planned to use it as a flying bomb, but the truth remains unknown. The family of a man who authorities saystole an airplane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and later crashed it called him a faithful husband, loving son and good friend.

An airline employee stole an otherwise unoccupied passenger plane Friday from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and flew it for an hour with military jets chasing him before crashing in a wooded area 40 miles away.

. 4.3M views 7 months ago A newly released video sheds new light on the moments leading up to Richard Russell crashing a plane. "Congratulations. By Jeff Wise Published: Aug 13, 2018 JASON REDMOND // Getty Images Having to rely on the ferry system for transport, the first 40 responding firefighters stayed at the scene throughout the night. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Win Tickets to Weezer with Spoon and White Reaper at White River Amphitheater on August 20th! If you miss out on Thursday, no worries! Videos Show Richard Russell's Final Moments Before Shocking Plane Crash The plane eventually crashed on sparsely populated Ketron Island, starting a fire in the woods but injuring no one outside the plane. Who Was Richard Russell? Man Steals Airplane and Crashes | Time While in the air, Meyer, whod been married eight weeks before, called his wife and said, Guess what? Jeff Wise is a New York-based science journalist specializing in aviation and psychology. On his Facebook page, which had limited public access, he said he was from Wasilla, Alaska; lived in Sumner, Washington; and was married in 2012. 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. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The whole saga took place late on a Friday night in the west-coast time zone; by Monday morning, the constant news churn of the middle years of the Trump presidency seemed to have pushed any follow-up coverage of the Horizon Air crash out of the headlines. "I thought they were practicing for an air show," he said. Investigators on Saturday were trying to retrieve the plane's flight data recorder and its cockpit voice recorder. 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 plane had been parked in a maintenance area and was not scheduled for a passenger flight, Tilden said. New surveillance. New video shows crash site of stolen plane. Russell was credentialed to be in secure areas at the airport, said Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Air Group, which owns Horizon Air. He said flying was a "blast" and that he didn't need much help: "I've played some video games before.". F-15 fighter jets scrambled to intercept the Q400, which ultimately crashed into Ketron Island, about 30 miles from the airport. 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. Richard Russell, 29, can be seen at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport driving a pushback tractor with an Alaska Air turboprop attached. / CBS/AP. Russell had no piloting experience, but he managed . The jets were not involved in the crash, it 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." The job of a ground service agent includes directing aircraft for takeoff and gate approach, handling baggage and tidying and de-icing planes, authorities said. He eventually climbs inside the cockpit and fires up the engine. 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. Russell took the Q400 from a cargo area at the north end of Sea-Tac Airport on August 10. Please enter valid email address to continue. His family says it's clear he didn't mean to harm anyone. During an exchange with air traffic controllers, Russell mentioned he had some experience using flight simulator software. Video captures Richard Russell doing tricks in stolen Horizon Air plane 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. 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. Please dont hesitate to utilize this resource. Richard B. Russell reportedly stole a Horizon Air plane for a joyride before crashing and killing himself near Seattle. 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. The theft illustrated what aviation experts have long known: One of the biggest potential perils for commercial air travel is airline or airport employees causing mayhem. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Nah, Im a white guy.. So many bags," he said. The incident came about when a 29-year-old man stole an aircraft from Seattle-Tacoma International airport in August 2018. That includes both domestic and international flights. Nearby co-workers weren't even aware of Russell's actions, which happened six hours into his shift, according to reporters. 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. An hour and 45 minutes into the flight, Meyer crashed into the English Channel. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. While investigators concluded Russell intentionally crash the plane, his motive still remains a mystery. Remains of airline worker who stole, crashed plane found on island in New Video Shows Man Stealing Horizon Air Plane In 2018 Incident Ah, dammit. Colton Harris Moore only got 6 years for stealing a plane and crashing it. His responsibilities included towing and pushing aircraft for takeoff and gate approach, de-icing them, and handling baggage. Later that day he stole an Alaska Air turboprop aircraft and crashed it into a remote island in Puget Sound. [deleted] 5 yr. ago. Worker who stole plane and crashed identified, See stolen plane flying moments before crash, Co-worker of man who stole plane speaks out, Official: Man taxied plane before stealing it, Airline worker's family releases statement, Airline issues statement after Seattle crash, Witness: Thought Air Force was practicing for show.