I usually have to work outsidebut it allows me to do some pretty cool things too.. [20] They married in 2012. 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 . Phillip Hamilton. The fighter jets were scrambled from Portland. Today marks the third anniversary of the poetic death of Richard Russell, dubbed "Sky King," the young man who took an airplane for a glorious final flight. He has buzzed Mt Rainer and the Seattle area. The man, known as Rich in air traffic control audio and dubbed the sky king on Twitter, broke hearts on social media as people followed the unauthorized flight before it came to a fatal end. The hardest part of stealing a commercial plane from an international airport was already over for Richard Russell. After he landed, Mr. Walters was arrested and charged with unlawful operation of an aircraft within a controlled air traffic area. [14] The transmissions were quickly recorded and posted on social media websites. Richard Russell plane crash video was released. August 12, 2018 1:05 PM EDT. The plane was grounded for the night after returning from Victoria, B.C., which was its final scheduled flight of the day. The wife of an airline employee who hijacked a plane in Seattle had recorded their seven happy years of marriage on Instagram, calling him 'the man who keeps me laughing'.. Richard Russell has . Periodically, his voice cut into the dispatches. Weird times., CBS News reporter Kris Van Cleave wrote, FAA sources say it appears an airline employee stole a Horizon Air Turbo Prop from SeaTac and took off and crashed Ketron Island outside Seattle. He shared a tweet from a woman named Victoria, who wrote, Sitting on a plane at SeaTac Airport, a Horizon employee just hijacked an airplane. He grins in selfies at work. "What can you expect," some said, "when you take people whose great-great-grandparents were pioneers, grizzly bear hunters, and city-builders and make them baggage handlers, call center operators, and sales clerks?" 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). We've received your submission. I was born in Key West, Florida, and moved to Wasilla, Alaska when I was 7. Never really knew it, until now, Richard Russell said at one point. 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." Reviewed by Ekua Hagan. Rest in peace Rich. The day of the incident, a thread on 4chan's /pol/[14] board about the incident gained over 470 posts. Someone sneak on board?, A man named Tyler Lucas wrote, Sitting on the runway at SeaTac, preparing for departure. pic.twitter.com/ziBAYv7cgn, Jimmy Thomson (@jwsthomson) August 11, 2018. On September 3rd, CNN reported that an airport worker named Cory Wayne Patterson had stolen a twin-engine plane from Tupelo Aviation and was threatening to crash it into a Mississippi Walmart. This video is not meant to glamorize suicide. He did a barrel roll in a stolen plane and went out in a blaze of glory. The audio between the man known as Rich and air traffic controllers further captured his demeanor. [20], Videos and radio transmissions of the event were followed online, immediately sparking a meme dubbing Russell the "Sky King". Nah, Im a white guy. That last line has caused some controversy online. They said the family is moving forward with the difficult talk of processing our grief and asked for space to mourn. I wouldnt want to do that. [5] It was not scheduled to fly again that day. Many people online compared the incident to 2018's incident with Richard Russell, calling Patterson "Sky King 2.0" or "Sky King 2. Happy birthday to the man who keeps me laughing and always improves the view ? she wrote with one in 2017. Hey all! U.S. Airlines Are Editing Their Websites to Remove Taiwan's Name at China's Request, What America's Richest Ski Town's Handling of COVID-19 Shows. We decided to sell and move in 2015, because we were both so far removed from our families. If you or someone you know may be contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. #seatac., A woman named Robanne Stading wrote on Twitter, #seatac airport is on a ground halt because evidently a mechanic is flying an unauthorized flightseeing trip around the mtns. As part of his job, Patterson was responsible for fuelling the aircraft. Ive got a lot of people that care about me. [20], On April 14, 2022, the FBI released 500 pages of previously classified documents related to the investigation. In the audio clips, Russell calls himself "broken" and says he knows how to fly a little bit thanks to video games. Sep 09, 2022 at 02:47PM EDT I hope it doesnt ruin your day. Up until then, he had seemed torn between life and death, at least considering the possibility of attempting a landing or ditching the aircraft in the sea. Hearing Mr. Russell speak during his final hour is an emotional experience. Powered by. He was a faithful husband, a loving son, and a good friend. Tower, you need to call and scramble now, one pilot warned, according to the video. Once I earn my Bachelors in Social Sciences I will either seek a management position where Im at now, or possibly join the military as an officer. He appeared regretful about the pain he knew would inevitably visit his family. We believe there are no passengers on board. 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. We believe there are no passengers on board. Published The mans bizarre and ultimately doomed flight pushed fighter planes into action. The final descent at Ketron Island was determined to be intentional, and suicide was listed as the manner of death. He then flew around the area for about an hour, speaking at times with air traffic controllers and apologizing to loved ones for what he was about to do. KINGs Madison Wade reports. I hope this prompts a nationwide discussion about mental healthcare overall. 1:10. Who is the aircraft on Runway 1-6 center? an air traffic controller can be heard saying. Residents of the island bore some of the cost for cleaning up, and negotiations were initiated for their reimbursement by Alaska Airlines' insurers. [39] He attended Wasilla High School, where he wrestled and competed in track and field. I hope they can make it through this. He said that airline employees go through background checks. He had psychotic depression. Richard Russell had a website that appeared to have been for a college communications class. He was a faithful husband, a loving son, and a good friend, the family said in the statement, which was read by a friend, Mike Mathews, ABC reported. On July 2, 1982, a . Happy to read and share the best inspirational Sky King Richard Russell quotes, sayings and quotations on Wise Famous Quotes. pic.twitter.com/Ra4LcIhwfU. He was very, very friendly automatically willing to bring everyone in, Hannah Holmes, who also participates in Young Life, told The Seattle Times. "[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. In another moment, Russell said he was lightheaded and talked about adjusting the cabin pressure, but it was not clear whether he was able to do that. To download the mp3, right-click here and choose "save link as" or "save target as." Around 9 PM Pacific Time on August 10th, 2018, a 29-year-old man named Richard Russell, stole a Q400 airplane from Seattle Tacoma International Airport and went for a joyride [] My names Richard Russell, Im 27 and currently living in Sumner, WA with my incredible wife Hannah. As users on Twitter and 4chan shared and discussed the story and further learned about Russell through the conversations with air traffic control and subsequent articles about his life, they deemed him "Sky King" as a title of respect. We are aware of an incident involving an unauthorized take-off of a Horizon Air Q400. Authorities described him as suicidal.. After taking off, an air traffic controller said, He needs some help controlling his aircraft. Russell responded: Nah, I mean, I dont need that much help. I dont want to hurt no one. The incident led to a dramatic and tragic night on August 10, 2018, as aircraft were grounded at Sea-Tac while fighter jets followed the man and air traffic controllers tried unsuccessfully to help him land the aircraft. They deemed Russell the Sky King inspiring an outpouring of memes in his memorial and a possible copycat this September. Was doing stunts in air or lack of flying skills caused crash into Island. The Sheriffs Department added, Two military F 15 chased plane but was not involved in crash and confirmed, No passengers on plane.. Teachers are quitting and they will have no one to run their schools, but they still won't give in and support solutions that would hurt property values. [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". [40] He was a hard-hitting football fullback in high school, scoring six touchdowns in his senior year, after which he moved to North Dakota to join the football team at Valley City State University. And in recordings of conversations with air traffic controllers, Russell joked and laughed, though he was at times contemplative and raw. I feel really bad for Richard and for his family. Ive played some video games before.. Perhaps it was because the only life he seemed to have taken was his own. I was born in Key West, Florida, and moved to Wasilla, Alaska when I was 7. In a final video that he posted to YouTube, Rich Russell showed an active life full of travel and adventure. Meanwhile, various tributes to Russell were uploaded to YouTube (shown below). ATC said, "they would give you a job doing anything if you could pull this off", to which he replied, "Yeah right! 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. The general feeling was, "It is a wonder that more of us don't crack from the tedium and meaninglessness of our consumer culture." [10] According to reports, Patterson called 911 from the plane and threatened to crash it into a Mississippi Walmart. He is not a pilot and does not know how to land the plane. Latest update from tower indicates no interest on his part to land the plane. Not entirely sure whats happening. 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. The family of a man who authorities say stole an airplane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Friday and died when he later crashed the aircraft said they were . Many saw Russell as a man suffering from depression and sympathized with him. Gary Beck, CEO of Horizon Air, told The Seattle Times it was impressive that Russell pulled off incredible maneuvers like a barrel roll with no flying experience. The sketch on Richard Russells WordPress page. The incident came to a tragic end when Russell intentionally crashed the plane into Ketron Island in Puget Sound, killing him. In 1993, Lawnchair Larry Walters was named an At-Risk Survivor in the annual Darwin Awards. A Port of Seattle official, Mike Pohl, said that Russell used an airport tractor to pull the parked plane onto a runway, which he would have known how to do, as part of his job in ground service was towing airplanes. Facebook/YouTube Damnit Andrew, peoples lives are at stake here, Rich said at one point in the audio, which you can listen to later in this article. [28] It described the perpetrator, identified as 29-year-old Richard Russell,[29][30] as suicidal and said his actions did not constitute a "terrorist incident". On Facebook, he had liked the Republican Party and conservative personalities like Sean Hannity and Ben Shapiro. Stay tuned., Another indicated, Seatac airspace closed. He was dubbed Sky King and tributes were offered to him. Audio captured emotional conversations between the man, named as Rich, and air traffic controllers trying to help him land safely. I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt. In the article, Russell described himself as laid back and easy going. Both were armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles[12] and went supersonic, generating sonic booms on the way to the Puget Sound area. Cast Your Vote To Select The Meme Of The Month! Magazines, stole a plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Or create a free account to access more articles, 'Beebo Was Loved By Everyone.' Excerpts taken from Mr. Ballen 's video on the Sky king.Top 3 stories that sound fake but are 100% real | Part 5:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zaa53S-8lDMMr.Ballen's Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtPrkXdtCM5DACLufB9jbsAHIJACKED SEATTLE PLANE INSANE FOOTAGE, TRAFFIC CONTROL AUDIO, CRASH DAMAGE:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeYVtVg6aGs Raw: Family Press Conference For Suicidal Mechanic Who Stole Plane In Seattle:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5fFJgdhBm4Stepbrother of Richard \"Beebo\" Russell talks about stolen plane incident:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FvRMhQ44kYMusicFrom Internet Archive, Public Domain MusicThe Pachelbel Canon: by Orchestre De Chambre Jean-Franois Paillardhttps://archive.org/details/lp_the-pachelbel-canon-and-other-baroque-favo_orchestre-de-chambre-jean-franois-paillard/disc1/01.02.+Canon+In+D+For+Strings+And+Continuo.mp3Pachelbel's Canon in D:https://archive.org/details/PachelbelsCanoninD [7], SeattleTacoma air traffic control (ATC) maintained radio contact with the occupant. Ive got a lot of people that care about me. After Russell performed an unauthorized takeoff, two McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle . And part of his job was to drive the tractor that backed the aircraft into position for takeoff. 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. In one blog, he describedaspirations to land a management job or join the military. He jokes around with the air traffic controller as he tries to explain to Russell how to land the plane, although as the conversation goes on that doesn't seem to be his intention, even saying, "I wasn't really planning on landing it." I met Hannah in Coos Bay, Oregon in 2010 while we were both going to school, the about me section says. He was a faithful husband, a loving son, and a good friend, Mike Mathews read from the statement at a press conference. [Im] just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. Commercial aircraft are complex machines, he said. Just kind of soaring around, he told air traffic control. Our first date, he kind of cornered me into it, Hannah Russell said to the site. According to suicide prevention expert, Dr. Christine Moutier, middle-aged White men account for 70% of deaths from suicide each year. Richard Russell, AKA Rich or Beebo Russell, was named as the airport mechanic who stole a Horizon plane at Sea-Tac and crashed it. 1.6K. You seemed like a nice guy and a hell of a natural pilot., Seattle hijackers plane heist, midair stunts and fiery crash expose gaps in aviation security. At another point, he says he's going to try to "do a barrel roll." More information as we learn more. [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. "[43] Some co-workers said that Russell had probably trained himself to fly using amateur flight simulation software. The chilling footage of his final moments next shows Russell jumping onto the plane and presumably getting into the cockpit. I got a lot of people that care about me. He spun a plane around Friday evening without raising suspicion and climbed aboard with 76 empty seats behind him. Mona Lazar. A 2012 article in the World described how Russell met his wife. Terrorism was ruled out, and Russell was found to have acted alone. Russell told air traffic controllers that he was a broken guy with a few screws loose, but also that he wanted to avoid injuring innocent people. 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! It may seem difficult for those watching at home to believe, but Beebo was a warm, compassionate man, the statement read. (@luketadams) August 11, 2018. He then boards an empty 70-seater plane and took off. The plane crashed through several lines of 100-foot trees, the National Transportation Safety Board said, according to CNN. Posted Sep 24, 2018. Defying attacks, arts return to Somalia with first TV drama in 30 years, Divorced and remarried, these Afghan women are outlaws under Taliban rule. What now? Filed under Tower tracking flight and in contact. The new footage appears to show Russell wearing a shirt that reads "The Sky's No Limit . Others said it was wrong to glorify him for an act that could have killed more people. . He was manic-depressive. After listening many times to the recordings, I found his voice - alternately warm, scared, and funny - to . SeaTac air traffic control made radio contact with Russell, the sole occupant, who described himself as a "broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess." Compilation of footage of the aircraft being flown erratically in the vicinity of Seattle, and the pursuing F-15s, News report featuring surveillance footage, Man Steals a Passenger Plane and Crashes it Just After Takeoff (With Real Video), Washington State University Global Campus, "National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Preliminary Report Accident Number: WPR18FA220", "Update on Investigation into Unauthorized Flight", "Alaska Air Horizon plane crashes after being stolen by airline employee", "How it unfolded: Full coverage of the Horizon Air crash and the man who stole the plane from Sea-Tac", "Stolen plane was chased by military jets before it crashed", "Crash: Horizon DH8D at Ketron Island on Aug 10th 2018, stolen aircraft crashed into forest", "Stolen plane closes Seattle-Tacoma airport before crashing", "Oregon F-15s Scramble To Seattle To Intercept Possibly Stolen Q400 Airliner (Updated)", "F-15Cs Intercept Stolen DASH-8 Airliner out of Seattle Tacoma Airport Before Crash", "LIVE: Plane stolen from Sea-Tac Airport crashes on small island; no passengers on board", "Pilot wanted to do aerobatics, apologized for his actions as he spoke with air traffic control", "NORAD F-15Cs intercept suicidal pilot in dramatic chase near Seattle", "Passenger Plane Stolen by Employee Crashes on Island Near Seattle Airport", "Seattle hijacker's plane heist, midair stunts and fiery crash expose gaps in aviation security", "Richard Russell, 'Rich': 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know", "Airline worker who stole plane told air traffic control 'I don't want to hurt no one', "SeaTac Hijacker Had the Skills to Take Out a Skyscraper Horizon Air ground handler Richard Russell knew how to fly without tearing the plane apartand enough fuel to be a flying bomb. [12] Flights in and out of SeaTac Airport were temporarily suspended. He said of himself that, Ive got a lot of people that care about me. My names Richard Russell, Im 27 and currently living in Sumner, WA with my incredible wife Hannah. I was dead set against it. Their business contained a sign that read, I have loved you with an everlasting love. "[34], Richard Russell was a Horizon Air ground service agent from Sumner, Washington. However, late in the evening of August 10, 2018, tower audio indicated that some planes were being released. sky king, sky king memes, richard russell, 4chan, sky king 2, based. What have I done? Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC, Psychology and the Mystery of the "Poisoned" Schoolgirls. He could have envisioned an aerial joyride and return to the ground. The majority of the memes are in celebration and memorial of Russell, while others are more trollish shitposts. He attended Washington State Global University Campus from 2016-2017, seeking a bachelors degree in social science. Authorities said they dont think he had a pilots license and arent sure how he was able to take off, much less perform complicated tricks in the air like a barrel roll. At one point, Russell told a controller he had played a lot of video games.