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. Who Was Richard Russell? Man Steals Airplane and Crashes | Time Plus we let you know whats going on locally with Lee Callahans Jacktivities! 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. 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. One sketch that he posted included a drawing of a Q400 plane, the same kind of plane involved in Friday's crash. An air traffic controller called him "Rich," and tried to convince him to land the airplane. A beautifully-written Rolling Stone article published in summer of 2021 tells the story of Russells life up to the moment he towed the plane onto the runway and hopped in the cockpit, attempting to find meaning or motive to help explain why this goofy, God-fearing baggage handler decided to steal a plane he likely knew he couldnt successfully land. "Seattle Ground, Horizon Guy. "Our hearts are with the families of the individual aboard as well as all of our Alaska Air and Horizon Air employees," said Constance von Muehlen, the airline's chief operating officer. Nearby co-workers weren't even aware of Russell's actions, which happened six hours into his shift, according to reporters. "Although investigators received information regarding Russells background, possible stressors, and personal life, no element provided a clear motivation for Russells actions.". I don't know, man! He said flying was a "blast" and that he didn't need much help: "I've played some video games before.". .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. Russell, a 3-1/2-year Horizon employee, worked as a ground service agent. The King County medical examiner ruled his death a suicide. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Tragic as Russell's death was, he could have inflicted vastly more damage had he been so inclined. During an exchange with air traffic controllers, Russell mentioned he had some experience using flight simulator software. Winter Weather Advisory expires for much of western Washington, Intertribal comedy sketch troupe performs 'Between Two Knees' at Seattle Rep, plane stolen from Sea-Tac Airport crashed, Stolen plane narrowly missed family inside Ketron Island cabin, released the findings of its investigation, Cockpit audio from worker who stole empty plane from Sea-Tac Airport, 'I was blown away': Stepbrother of man who stole plane speaks out. Please dont hesitate to utilize this resource. May 25, 2003. 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. Horizon airline employee, 28-year-old Richard 'Bebo' Russell, stole a plane and took off before crashing into remote Pierce County island More Videos Next up in 5 I don't want to. ", "Well," a controller responds, "we're not going to worry or think about that. The incident is bizarre and tragic, but it is not unprecedented. Nah, Im a white guy.. Investigators on Saturday were trying to retrieve the plane's flight data recorder and its cockpit voice recorder. ", "I've got a lot of people that care about me," the man later said. "Most importantly," he said in a voiceover about his job, "I get to visit those I love most. Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. He complimented the controller: "You are very calm, collect, poised," he said. Sky King (RE-POST with new footage) || The Day an Airline Employee 7 months ago. 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. 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. Win Tickets to Weezer with Spoon and White Reaper at White River Amphitheater on August 20th! 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. 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. "He was a quiet guy," Rick Christenson, an operational supervisor with the airline who retired in Maytold The Seattle Times. It's gonna be crazy," Mr Russel said. and last updated 2018-08-12 08:56:01-04. The plane was a Bombardier Q400, a turboprop that seats 76 people, owned by Horizon Air, part of Alaska Airlines. Russell repeatedly says he would do a roll. Chilling CCTV footage shows Richard Russell stealing plane - HITC At one point, he apologizes and says he is a "broken guy" with "a few screws loose. Padilla and an a recently hired assistant boarded the plane, taxied it to the runway, took off, and head out over the Atlantic Ocean. The agency says the 28-year-old's loved ones hosted an intervention for him, who "seemed fine" besides increased drinking. NORAD scrambled two F-15 to try to shepherd Russell away from populated areas of Seattle, but at 8:46 PM, Russell crashed the plane into an uninhabited part of Ketron Island in Puget Sound. "A couple of the turns, it looked like what we call in basic flight training a 'coordinated turn,' meaning that he not only used the yoke but you also coordinate with the rudders and you do the turns. "Russell was known as a quiet guy who read a lot," according to one witness statement. 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. 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 death. A Russian Air Force engineer made off with an Antonov An-26 transport plane from Kubinka Air Force Base near Moscow. Nearby co-workers weren't even aware of Russell's actions, which happened six hours into his shift, according to reporters. "Congratulations. New Video Shows Man Stealing Horizon Air Plane In 2018 Incident CNN's Kyung Lah reports.. I mean, I would hope it is, for a guy like me. 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. New video of 2018 Horizon Air plane heist at Sea-Tac | king5.com There were no passengers aboard. Authorities said Russell did not have a pilot's license. 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. 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. Jeff Wise is a New York-based science journalist specializing in aviation and psychology. Richard Russell, 29, can be seen at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport driving a pushback tractor with an Alaska Air turboprop attached. 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? 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. 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. Authorities sent fighter jets to escort him, and the controller repeatedly tried to direct him to runways. U.S. Air Force Sergeant Paul Meyer, a 23-year-old crew chief stationed at Mildenhall Air Base in England, stole a C-130 cargo plane and took off. So many bags," he said. video Plane crashes near Seattle airport. 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. appreciated. On the other hand, Russell was reported to have been profoundly troubled, whereas Malaysian authorities were unable to find any evidence that Shah suffered from mental illness or was undergoing any kind of stress in his life. As he flew the stolen 76-seat passenger plane above the Seattle area for nearly an hour on Friday night, Richard B. Russell was asked by an air . 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? I've played some video games before," Russell responds. Hell of a crime spree for a 19 year old. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Richard Russell: Authorities don't believe man who stole Dash-8 Q400 "Russell had a few unexcused absences, but nothing considered significant.". He passed a series of background checks to gain his position, as he didn't have any criminal convictions. 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. 4.3M views 7 months ago A newly released video sheds new light on the moments leading up to Richard Russell crashing a plane. Kathleen Reichel said she watched the planes pass by for about two minutes. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. But the friendly tone of a 29-year-old airport worker who stole a commercial plane Friday night, performing acrobatic stunts before a fatal plunge into a thick island forest, belied his desperate actions. A video made by Richard Russell, the man who just stole a plane. I was kinda hoping that was going to be it. "So, (he) had some knowledge but clearly wasn't a commercial pilot.". 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. 2018 Horizon Air Q400 incident - Wikipedia FBI released more information about Russell and the incident earlier this year, including witness statements from family, friends, and co-workers. It was empty, parked at a Seattle-Tacoma International Airport cargo and . 2. His family says it's clear he didn't mean to harm anyone. Domestic Flights, Airplane Door Rips Open Midflight on Russian Plane, Airport Worker Ingested Into Jet Engine, Dies, The Concorde Disaster, Battle Tanks, and More. 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. A blog that appeared to belong to Russell as part of a multimedia content creation class at Washington State University focused on his job on a ground service agent. It evens out in the end.". The worker performed several aerial stunts in the stolen aircraft before ultimately crashing on Ketron Island. They said it's clear Russell didn't intend to harm anyone, and "he was right in saying that there are so many people who loved him. 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. CNN's Kyung Lah reports. 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. Weve got the Weekend Ticket Takeover! Officials don't believe Russell had a pilot's license, and they don't know how he knew to fly the plane. About to take off. He was immediately killed. Not long before the crash, a pilot who'd been helping controllers advise Russell appears to mention the maneuver. Worlds Largest Passenger Aircraft Will Fly Again, Russia May Use Military Aircraft for Civilians, A Livestream of Planes Trying to Land at Heathrow, Why a New 5G Rollout Is Making Airlines Nervous, The Complicated History of the Very First Flight, The VTOL Future of Flight That Never Took Off. ", First published on August 13, 2018 / 5:34 AM. Like a lot of bags. . Discovery Company. Ultimately the FBI determined that Mr Russell intentionally brought the airplane into a dive onto a small island in Puget Sound, where he died. Russell, 29 is presumed dead. Richard Russell: 'Heartbroken' family of Seattle airline employee - CNN 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. 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. His responsibilities included towing and pushing aircraft for takeoff and gate approach, de-icing them, and handling baggage. 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. "I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. 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. "My husband and I are recently former Boeing employees, and we were wondering why a jet was near the passenger airplane," she said. "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.". If you miss out on Thursday, no worries! He later stole the plane and eventually crashed it into an island in Puget Sound. The perpetrator, 29-year-old Richard Russell, was a Horizon Air ground service agent with no piloting experience. / CBS/AP. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Other pilots and SeaTac's tower exchange information about Mr Russell as they quickly realise that something unusual is going on. Richard Russell, 29, walks through employee security screening at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. A Warner Bros. Nearby co-workers weren't even aware of Russell's actions, which happened six hours into his shift, according to reporters.

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.

. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Earlier in the flight, Russell says: "This is probably, like, jail time for life, huh? 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. All rights reserved. The Sky Thief Richard Russell Plane Crash Video Gone Viral: What His 75-minute flight during the golden twilight took him south and west, toward the Olympic Mountains. New surveillance. He is the author of The Plane That Wasn't There: Why We Haven't Found MH370. SEATAC, Wash. - It was a shocking scene above the Puget Sound, as Horizon Airlines employee Richard Russell stole and flew a turboprop from Sea-Tac Airport while air traffic tried to talk him . CCTV Footage Shows Baggage Handler Stealing Plane, Crashes On Island - TMZ An hour and 45 minutes into the flight, Meyer crashed into the English Channel. 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. Horizon airline employee, 28-year-old Richard 'Bebo' Russell, stole a plane and took off before crashing into remote Pierce County island Colton Harris Moore only got 6 years for stealing a plane and crashing it. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. 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. After proceeding through the pre-flight checklist and moving the pushback tractor, Mr Russell began rolling the plane toward a runway. We deliver the best in breaking news, live video coverage, original journalism and segments from your favorite NBC News Shows.Connect with NBC News Online!NBC News App: https://smart.link/5d0cd9df61b80Breaking News Alerts: https://link.nbcnews.com/join/5cj/breaking-news-signup?cid=sm_npd_nn_yt_bn-clip_190621Visit NBCNews.Com: http://nbcnews.to/ReadNBCFind NBC News on Facebook: http://nbcnews.to/LikeNBCFollow NBC News on Twitter: http://nbcnews.to/FollowNBC#Surveillance #Horizonair #hijacking They say says this is a complete shock. 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. Enter for your chance to win a visit to the Disneyland Resort with 96.5 JACK FM! No one noticed the plane had disappeared until Mr Russell was in the air. Richard Russell Stole a Plane in Seattle and Crashed It. How'd He Learn . Airline and Seattle airport officials revealed the following at a news conference Saturday: In audio recordings of the incident posted on Broadcastify, Russell can be heard talking to air traffic controllers as they try to guide him to land the plane. 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. Im coming home! But it was not to be. 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. At least 12 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Trump speaks at CPAC after winning straw poll, 3 children killed, 2 others wounded at Texas home, Man charged for alleged involvement in 2 transformer explosions, Nikki Haley slams potential GOP contenders, and Trump and George W. 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New video shows fiery scene of stolen plane crash on Ketron Island Russell echoed those claims in his last conversation with air traffic control. Could 3 Particles on a Tie Lead Us to D.B. FBI recovers flight recorder, Richard Russell's remains from stolen Video from a witness on the ground shows the plane at one point pulling up for a loop, putting the aircraft upside-down and then pulling back up just feet above a body of water.