Richard "Beebo" Russell (Screenshot from YouTube via AP) SEATTLE - The Horizon Air baggage handler who stole a commercial airplane from Sea-Tac Airport and took it for a 73-minute joy ride . 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. "Most importantly," he said in a voiceover about his job, "I get to visit those I love most. 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. The man has been identified as Richard Russell, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation confirmed to CNN on Saturday night. 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. The FBI will lead the investigation, said Eckrote, the NTSB regional chief. The plane was a Bombardier Q400, a turboprop that seats 76 people, owned by Horizon Air, part of Alaska Airlines. But could you start a left-hand turn, please?". He said his actions were "going to disappoint" the people who cared for him, and described himself as "just a broken guy" with "a few screws loose, I guess.". 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. he joked. 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. He was immediately killed. Richard Russell: quiet, well-liked Seattle airport worker who stole a plane Nearby co-workers weren't even aware of Russell's actions, which happened six hours into his shift, according to reporters. 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. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. 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. 2023 Cox Media Group. But the plane slammed into tiny Ketron Island, a sparsely populated island southwest of Tacoma. "It's going to disappoint them to hear that I did thisJust a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess.". Mr Russell's aerial joyride ultimately ended in a fiery crash on a remote island in Puget Sound. Jeff Wise is a New York-based science journalist specializing in aviation and psychology. 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. Richard Russell, 29, can be seen at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport driving a pushback tractor with an Alaska Air turboprop attached. 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. Neither the men nor the plane has ever been seen again. 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. Video from 2018 shows final moments of Sea-Tac Airport worker - KOMO video Plane crashes near Seattle airport. That includes both domestic and international flights. 4.3M views 7 months ago A newly released video sheds new light on the moments leading up to Richard Russell crashing a plane. It's Troublingly Common for Ground Crew Members To Steal Planes Russell went by "Beebo" on social media. Domestic Flights, Airplane Door Rips Open Midflight on Russian Plane, Airport Worker Ingested Into Jet Engine, Dies, The Concorde Disaster, Battle Tanks, and More. 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 a quiet guy," Rick Christenson, an operational supervisor with the airline who retired in Maytold The Seattle Times. "Everyone was literally frozen in place, muttering about what possibly happened," he said. He later stole the plane and eventually crashed it into an island in Puget Sound. "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.". They say says this is a complete shock. CNN's Kyung Lah reports. "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. Maybe that will grease some gears with the higher up, Russell said to air traffic controllers. 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. Richard Russell died in Friday's plane crash. 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. When Rolling Stone published its article last year, no major regulatory or security changes had been implemented in response to Russells deadly flight. The incident is bizarre and tragic, but it is not unprecedented. "Congratulations. A fter 29-year-old airline employee Richard B. Russell stole a plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Friday night and crashed it into Ketron Island in Puget Sound, questions remain. Video captures Richard Russell doing tricks in stolen Horizon Air plane "Russell was known as a quiet guy who read a lot," according to one witness statement. 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. 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. New Video Shows Man Stealing Horizon Air Plane In 2018 Incident The plane was a Q400, a Bombardier turboprop plane, one of about 40 the airline has in its fleet. Videos Show Richard Russell's Final Moments Before Shocking Plane Crash The Associated Press contributed to this report. "He was getting really stressed about the financial situation he was in. In a humorous YouTube video he posted last year, he talked about his job and included videos and photos of his travels. In a statement, the family says Richard Russell, whose nickname was "Beebo," was warm, kind and gentle. 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. Others include how, nearly 17 years after the 9/11 attack, someone can simply take a passenger plane from a major U.S. airport without authorization. [deleted] 5 yr. ago. "So, (he) had some knowledge but clearly wasn't a commercial pilot.". "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. Despite the timing of the crash during prime fire season, the fires in the video seemed to be small and scattered. "I lift a lot of bags. Richard Russell: Authorities don't believe man who stole Dash-8 Q400 New Footage Shows Moments Before Seattle Man Crashed Plane in - YouTube 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hell of a crime spree for a 19 year old. Colton Harris Moore only got 6 years for stealing a plane and crashing it. Plus we let you know whats going on locally with Lee Callahans Jacktivities! On board was 29-year-old Richard Russell, a baggage handler for Horizon Air who is also flying the plane for unknown reason. First published on August 11, 2018 / 4:48 PM. 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. Investigators "did not identify any information that would suggest the theft of the aircraft was related to wider criminal activity or terrorist ideology," according to a summary of the FBI 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. Human remains were found in wake of Friday's tragic plane crash. ", "I've got a lot of people that care about me," the man later said. 2023 Cable News Network. All rights reserved. Richard Russell: Man who stole SeaTac plane was warm and compassionate "I thought they were practicing for an air show," he said. Sky King (RE-POST with new footage) || The Day an Airline Employee Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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. "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. A video made by Richard Russell, the man who just stole a plane. So many bags," he said. 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. 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. Please dont hesitate to utilize this resource. 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. An FBI investigation found Alaska Airlines ramp employee Richard Russell intentionally crashed the aircraft after flying for more than an hour. President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident and is monitoring the situation, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Saturday morning. He was immediately killed. That's just not safe.". ", "Well," a controller responds, "we're not going to worry or think about that. Minimum wage, we'll chalk it up to that. Other pilots and SeaTac's tower exchange information about Mr Russell as they quickly realise that something unusual is going on. One sketch that he posted included a drawing of a Q400 plane, the same kind of plane involved in Friday's crash. 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. "NORAD fighters did not fire upon the aircraft," North American Aerospace Defense Command said Saturday morning in a news release. It evens out in the end.". By Jeff Wise Published: Aug 13, 2018 JASON REDMOND // Getty Images 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. It was a strange day when Horizon Airlines Employee Richard "Beebo" Russell stole a plane in the middle of his working shift. "Tower, you need to call and scramble now," one Alaska Air pilot called out. 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 left prison after less than 5 years, on parole. In fact, there have been a number of occurrences in recent decades in which ground personnel made off with aircraft. The man has been identified as Richard Russell, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation confirmed to CNN on Saturday night.