i cut the audio from a frequency hopper that caught some of what they said to each other. 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 . He somehow managed to execute a barrel roll and a few other aerobatic maneuvers before crashing the aircraft onto a sparsely populated island, killing only himself. Will many of us have a better story to tell when we get to wherever were going, one Reddit user saidin a thread. An airline employee conducted an unauthorized takeoff without passengers at Sea-Tac; aircraft has crashed in south Puget Sound. I suspect that most of the time they want to hear some kind of post-mortem diagnosis: He was a paranoid schizophrenic. [44], In the days after the crash, clean up and recovery crews contracted by Alaska Airlines and their insurers were present on the island to remove debris. Hearing a diagnosis would comfort them somehow. Patterson did not end up flying the plane into Walmart, instead landing in a field where he was arrested. I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. 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. On social media, Richard Russell quickly became something of a folk hero, but people also felt sadness and empathy for his pain and his plight. On 4chan,[7][8] threads dedicated to Russell were submitted over the next several days, many of which contained photoshops, image macros and fan arts praising the incident and referring to Russell as "Sky King" (shown below). 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. Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC, Psychology and the Mystery of the "Poisoned" Schoolgirls. You went out the way most of us dream, one user wrote. Sep 09, 2022 at 02:47PM EDT Airport (@flySEA) August 11, 2018. [20] They married in 2012. The majority of the memes are in celebration and memorial of Russell, while others are more trollish shitposts. I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. In one blog, he describedaspirations to land a management job or join the military. Never knew he was fighting a battle non of us knew about. The Sky King of Sea-Tac Airport. 0:00. "[17] He asked ATC if he could get a job as a pilot with Alaska Airlines if he successfully landed the aircraft. We know who he is. At one point in the dramatic audio, Richard Russell told the tower he was losing an engine. Thats McChord field, the controller tells Richard Russell. [37], Horizon Air CEO Gary Beck stated that, as far as the company knew, Russell did not have a pilot's license. 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. Its gonna be crazy, he said at one point in air traffic control transmissions. Public acts of violence such as mass shootings often reflect the perpetrators troubled, dark past. 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.. Seattle ground Horizon guy. Never really knew it, until now.". It was a strange day when Horizon Airlines Employee Richard "Beebo" Russell stole a plane in the middle of his working shift. This is not a terrorist incident. Russell said to dispatchers, You think if I can land this successfully, Alaska will give me a job as a pilot? and the Air Traffic Control tower said, I think they will give you a job doing anything if you pull this off. He replied, according to some sites, Yeah right! People expressed an emotional connection with him through postings on social media, T-shirts, and tribute songs. Wife of Richard Russel, Hannahh Russel documented her seven-year-long marriage to the 29-year-old on Instagram ( Source : co ) "After failing to persuade Hannah of Alaska's awesomeness, we landed on Sumner due to its proximity to her family," he wrote in his blog. 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. He tilted the wings and rumbled low over Puget Sound. He did a barrel roll in a stolen plane and went out in a blaze of glory. Human remains were recovered from the site, the FBI said Sunday, and Russell is presumed dead in the crash. He would take my shifts if I needed. 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. 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. Hours prior, he posted a message on Facebook that seemed to imply he was going to commit suicide, writing, "Sorry everyone. Ah, Rich, dont say stuff like that, the controller said. Knowing what you value will help you build the most meaningful life possible. His familys brief statement did not address any potential mental health issues. We decided to sell and move in 2015, because we were both so far removed from our families. You can listen to more archived aviation audio on the incident here, some of which captures the mans voice: READ NEXT: TikTok Influencers Son Murdered at Gas Station. On August 10th, 2018, a service agent for Horizon Air named Richard "Beebo" Russell used his position to steal a Horizon Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 airliner from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. New footage has been released from a 2018 incident in which an airline ground service agent named Richard Russell stole a turboprop plane from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and crashed it into an island in the Puget Sound. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Wish me luck! Beck said the aerial maneuvers were "incredible" and that he "did not know how [Russell] achieved the experience that he did. 7 things to know", "One year after stolen Horizon plane crash, scars remain on Ketron Island", "FBI releases classified documents from 2018 Horizon Air plane theft, crash", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_Horizon_Air_Q400_incident&oldid=1136228770, This page was last edited on 29 January 2023, at 10:06. Our first date, he kind of cornered me into it, Hannah Russell said to the site. [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. My logo draft will be a generic suit case with minimalistic travel stickers, encircled by the text: Russell Hustle. Video related to richard russell, rich: 5 fast facts you need to know, Click to subscribe! [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. Tower tracking flight and in contact. Magazines, Digital Facebook/YouTube He grins in selfies at work. I love my parents and sister this isn't your fault. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Patient, new father among 5 killed in medical flight crash, Medical aircraft crash in Nevada leaves 5 dead: report, 5 dead in small plane crash in Little Rock, Human error eyed as cause of Yeti Airlines crash that killed 72 people. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed, the airport wrote. . According to suicide prevention expert, Dr. Christine Moutier, middle-aged White men account for 70% of deaths from suicide each year. Although he didnt have a pilots license, Russell knew how to work the plane from his experience as an airport employee, the FBI previously said. Russell was well-liked by his co-workers, according to The Seattle Times. Facebook Yeah I dont know what the burnageis like on a takeoff but yeah. He was very, very friendly automatically willing to bring everyone in, Hannah Holmes, who also participates in Young Life, told The Seattle Times. They deemed Russell the Sky King inspiring an outpouring of memes in his memorial and a possible . I dont need that much help; Ive played some video games before, he told the controllers trying to help him. My names Richard Russell, Im 27 and currently living in Sumner, WA with my incredible wife Hannah. [4] It landed at SeattleTacoma International Airport at 13:35 local time the afternoon of the incident, after an in-service flight from Victoria, British Columbia. "Nah, I'm a white guy." Hannah and Beebo met at a Campus Crusade for Christ gathering at Southwestern Oregon Community College last year, the site reported. Others said it was wrong to glorify him for an act that could have killed more people. [20], Videos and radio transmissions of the event were followed online, immediately sparking a meme dubbing Russell the "Sky King". [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". 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. A former coworker, Rick Christenson, told The Seattle Times: He was a quiet guy. He carried with him a CB radio, sandwiches, beer, and a camera. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed. I dont need that much help; Ive played some video games before, he told the controllers trying to help him. He was dubbed Sky King and tributes were offered to him. "[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. The audio between the man known as Rich and air traffic controllers further captured his demeanor. There wasnt anything particularly wrong with them. I was born in Key West, Florida, and moved to Wasilla, Alaska when I was 7. Cast Your Vote To Select The Meme Of The Month! I'm listening through the archive of the radio chatter on the #seatac hijacking. Or he could have had grim plans to take his own life. Audio from the SeaTac tower reported that aircraft were lined up on the tarmac at one point. They are grounding all planes and waiting. I usually have to work outsidebut it allows me to do some pretty cool things too.. He did it because he was depressed. As David Hume observed, our brains habitually seek out causation and are restless until a cause, even an erroneous cause, is determined. Videos of the plane being followed by two F-15 fighter jets started going viral online as the story broke. A former coworker, Rick Christenson, told The Seattle Times: He was a quiet guy. He spoke of wanting to do "a couple maneuvers to see what it [the aircraft] can do", and requested the coordinates of an orca that had been brought to national attention, saying, "I want to go see that guy." If you or someone you know may be contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. [5] It was not scheduled to fly again that day. It is not surprising that I thought of Larry Walters when I first heard about Richard Russell. "[34], Richard Russell was a Horizon Air ground service agent from Sumner, Washington. I hope they can make it through this. He said that airline employees go through background checks. Residents of the island bore some of the cost for cleaning up, and negotiations were initiated for their reimbursement by Alaska Airlines' insurers. Acted alone he is 29 year old Pierce county residence. They opened a bakery and ran it for three years before selling it in 2015 to be closer to Hannahs family. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose I guess. 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. Since his famous flight, he had spent a lot of time hiking, reading the Bible, and volunteering with the Forest Service. 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. Rich, you said you had 2100 pounds of fuel left? the controller responded. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Published About. "Got a few screws loose, I guess. On August 11th, 2018, a post about the plane crash was submitted to 4chan's /pol/ board,[1] where an anonymous user replied "Sky King?" Or that he appeared to be a happy, regular guy. Preliminary info is that a mechanic from unknown airlines stole plane. Rick Christenson, who was previously an operational supervisor with Horizon Air and who watched Russells flight over Puget Sound, described Russell to the Times as a quiet guy. It seemed like he was well-liked by the other workers, Christenson said. Our first date, he kind of cornered me into it, Hannah Russell said to the site. Footage of Patterson flying the plane went viral on social media and people quickly started comparing it to the 2018 Sky King incident. [6], The aircraft was stolen from Plane Cargo 1 at the north end of SeaTac Airport[6] and maneuvered to runway 16C via taxiways. Mourners gathered in the comments section of his YouTube video. #seatac pic.twitter.com/OVtJqphgqo. 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. Powered by. The day of the incident, a thread on 4chan's /pol/[14] board about the incident gained over 470 posts. Rainier. Lucas added, Theyve been in contact with the culprit. Rich, you said you had 2100 pounds of fuel left? the controller responded. 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. I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt. In the article, Russell described himself as laid back and easy going. [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). [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. I dont want to hurt no one. You can watch the video above. A friend wrote on Facebook, So heart brokenhe was such a kind person to me. A week after Richard Russell stole a Horizon plane from Sea-Tac Airport and crashed it on Ketron Island, there are few hints about why he did it or how he was able to fly the aircraft. Pilots kept plane out of harms way and people on ground safe. The crisis has engulfed the West as a whole. Stay tuned., Richard Russell, Rich: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Ah, Rich, dont say stuff like that, the controller said. It had first flown in 2012 and was delivered new to Horizon Air in the same year. KINGs Madison Wade reports. The individual did use a pushback tractor to rotate the aircraft 180 degrees so he could then taxi the aircraft, Pohl said at the news conference Saturday. Richard Russell was a suicidal airport ground services worker who stole an airplane from Sea-Tac International Airport in Seattle, Washington, and took it on a dramatic unauthorized flight, where it was chased by fighter planes as he attempted stunts in the air before the plane crashed. [15] He said he was a "broken guy, got a few screws loose I guess. Human remains were recovered from the site, the FBI said Sunday, and Russell is presumed dead in the crash. "[43] Some co-workers said that Russell had probably trained himself to fly using amateur flight simulation software. More information as we learn more. Filed under The Port of Seattle released the video. Another called it cathartic and liberating.. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed. quote: On August 10, 2018, a Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 was stolen from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) in Seattle, Washington. The plane was grounded for the night after returning from Victoria, B.C., which was its final scheduled flight of the day. [20], On April 14, 2022, the FBI released 500 pages of previously classified documents related to the investigation. We had a ground stop for quite a while here, a dispatcher says. This story has been shared 176,044 times. 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. That day, Boston Globe journalist Matt Karolian tweeted a link to the Sea-Tac air traffic control broadcast, followed by an announcement that Russell revealed he would attempt a barrel roll maneuver (shown below). Not entirely sure whats happening. Its burned quite a bit faster than I expected., He also said, Im gonna land it, in a safe kind of manner. 0. Russells family released a statement to the news media expressing great shock and remembering Russell for his compassion. Holy smokes, Ive got to stop looking at the fuel because its going down quick.. ", Currently we have a 29yr old who stole this plane & is threatening to crash it into something. [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.

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