Investigators said Richard Russell worked alone when he was working as a ground service agent for the airline, and that he towed the turboprop out a hanger, climbed into the cockpit, and took off. 7 months ago. "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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. May 23, 1969. August 22, 1979. "We are devastated by these events, and Jesus is truly the only one holding this family together right now. 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. First published on August 11, 2018 / 4:48 PM. Also see | Cockpit audio from worker who stole empty plane from Sea-Tac Airport. "Most importantly," he said in a voiceover about his job, "I get to visit those I love most. "This is a complete shock to us," the family said in a statement Saturday night. He said flying was a "blast" and that he didn't need much help: "I've played some video games before.". Russell echoed those claims in his last conversation with air traffic control. He is the author of The Plane That Wasn't There: Why We Haven't Found MH370. 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. 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. At one point he asks the controller, Hey, do you think if I land this successfully, Alaska [Horizon Airs parent company, Alaska Airllines] will give me a job as a pilot? Told, You know, I think they would give you a job doing anything if you could pull this off, Russell replies, Yeah right! As the FBI investigation wrapped up earlier this week, West Pierce Fire and Rescue released some of the first footage from the scene through public disclosure. The FBI has recovered the flight data recorder and components of the cockpit voice recorder from the Horizon aircraft that crashed onto Ketron Island Friday night. "Seattle Ground, Horizon Guy. Mr Russell was at times jovial at one point he assured SeaTac's tower that he didn't need help controlling the airplane because he had played some video games and questioned if it could do a backflip and was at others melancholic. Marine Corps lance corporal Howard A. Foote, Jr. stole an A-4M Skyhawk ground attack jet from Marine Corps Air Station El Toro and took it on a 45-minute aerobatic joyride before returning to base and landing safely. Tragic as Russell's death was, he could have inflicted vastly more damage had he been so inclined. The incident is bizarre and tragic, but it is not unprecedented. 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. Onlooker John Waldron took video that shows the plane rolling inverted at low altitude, then pulling into a half-loop in a aerobatic high-g maneuver called a split S. Whether through skill or luck, Russell managed to pull the plane out of its rapid descent just above the wave tops. Richard B. Russell reportedly stole a Horizon Air plane for a joyride before crashing and killing himself near Seattle. Having to rely on the ferry system for transport, the first 40 responding firefighters stayed at the scene throughout the night. So many bags," he said. 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. Ultimately the FBI determined that Mr Russell intentionally brought the airplane into a dive onto a small island in Puget Sound, where he died. 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. I don't know, man! Kathleen Reichel said she watched the planes pass by for about two minutes. Copyright 2018 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. The incident came about when a 29-year-old man stole an aircraft from Seattle-Tacoma International airport in August 2018. 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. "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.". (DAILY NEWS VIDEO) . Moore stole (or stole and crashed) multiple airplanes, multiple boats, dozens of cars, etc. Aug. 12, 2018. Meyer had recently been passed over for promotion and had been arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct. 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. Richard Russell Posted a Video on YouTube About Being a Baggage Handler Play VideoVideo related to richard russell, 'rich': 5 fast facts you need to know 2018-08-11T15:04:15-04:00 In a. The rest of Mr Russell's time in the air was well documented, thanks to his regular contact with SeaTac's tower. 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. 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. NTSB to investigate in-flight turbulence that left 1 passenger dead, Pittsburgh woman missing for 31 years found alive in Puerto Rico, stole an airplane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Investigators work to determine how a man was able to pilot a stolen plane. It seemed like such miserable work and I never could imagine why anyone would want to subject themselves to all the constant noise, gas fumes, and heavy lifting. "Here we have an employee who was vetted to the level to have access to the aircraft and had a skill set proficient enough to take off with that plane.". Surveillance footage obtained by KOMO shows 28-year-old Richard Russell using a tow vehicle to pull a Horizon Air Q400 aircraft onto the tarmac before climbing into the cockpit on August 10, 2018. Videos Show Richard Russell's Final Moments Before Shocking Plane Crash The cause of the crash wasn't immediately known, but the F-15s did not bring the plane down, Eckrote said. Its not yet known exactly what pre-existing psychological conditions Russell may have had, but in the course of his conversation with air traffic controllers he expresses racial resentment. The plane was a Bombardier Q400, a turboprop that seats 76 people, owned by Horizon Air, part of Alaska Airlines. New video shows crash site of stolen plane 02:22 CNN Richard Russell was a funny, gentle and hardworking man, said family and a colleague of the airline employee who stole a passenger. Newly-released videos from the Port of Seattle show the moments leading up to an airport worker crashing a stolen airplane nearly four years ago. . The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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. Horizon's parent company, Alaska Airlines, refused to comment on claims of workers being overworked or underpaid. ", "Well," a controller responds, "we're not going to worry or think about that. The Seattle FBI office said Sunday that it had recovered the flight data recorder and components of the cockpit voice recorder from the Horizon plane. "I think I'm going to try to do a barrel roll, and if that goes good I'll go nose down and call it a night," Richard Russell said from the cockpit, according to a recording of his conversation with the controller. 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.
. The agency said that, had Mr Russell wanted, he could have recovered from the dive. He eventually climbs inside the cockpit and fires up the engine. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. 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. He had no purpose to be at that plane Friday evening "other than what he did do," Tilden said. Other pilots and SeaTac's tower exchange information about Mr Russell as they quickly realise that something unusual is going on. Russell repeatedly says he would do a roll. There were no passengers aboard. 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. Without communicating to air traffic controllers, he cut off another airplane and then managed to get the plane onto the runway and airborne. Amazingly, despite the unprecedented nature of this deadly feat, and the fact that it could have easily become a mass casualty event, Russells flight and fatal crash seemed to hardly make a splash in the national news. The man has been identified as Richard Russell, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation confirmed to CNN on Saturday night. 2023 Cable News Network. "In this plane, he certainly knew how to retract the landing gear, he coordinated both engines, powered them up to get a coordinated takeoff," she said. "I thought they were practicing for an air show," he said. The plane had been parked in a maintenance area and was not scheduled for a passenger flight, Tilden said. President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident and is monitoring the situation, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Saturday morning. It's gonna be crazy," Mr Russel said. "Tower, you need to call and scramble now," one Alaska Air pilot called out. 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. He was killed in the crash. 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. The Sky Thief Richard Russell Plane Crash Video Gone Viral: What CNN's Kyung Lah reports. Richard Russell, 'Rich': 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know The Surveillance footage obtained by KOMO shows 28-year-old Richard Russell using a tow vehicle to pull a Horizon Air Q400 aircraft onto the tarmac before climbing into the . 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. He was immediately killed. Did you encounter any technical issues? Russell went by "Beebo" on social media. After Russell talked periodically with air traffic controllers for about an hour, the plane crashed at Ketron Island,officials said. The plane was a Q400, a Bombardier turboprop plane, one of about 40 the airline has in its fleet. "My husband and I are recently former Boeing employees, and we were wondering why a jet was near the passenger airplane," she said. I don't know! The jets' capability was appropriate to the potential task, one of the sources said, without offering details. video Plane crashes near Seattle airport. 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. Weve got the Weekend Ticket Takeover! They say says this is a complete shock. CCTV Footage Shows Baggage Handler Stealing Plane, Crashes On Island - TMZ New surveillance. He first can be seen wandering through security, and is spotted again later on the tarmac. Later, a controller discusses getting a pilot on the radio to help Russell control the aircraft. Richard Russell, pilot of stolen Horizon Air plane, had lighthearted FBI releases classified documents from 2018 Horizon Air plane theft, crash "We heard the jet because our windows were down while we were waiting in the ferry line to go to Anderson Island, which is adjacent to Ketron Island.". It did not elaborate. Relatives of Richard Russell say they are "stunned and heartbroken" after the airline worker stole a passenger plane Friday from the Seattle-Tacoma .