Who Is The 'Sky King' Richard Russell And How Did He Earn His Title? Failing to convince Hannah of Alaskas greatness, we settled on Sumner because of its close proximity to her family., Richard added, I, meanwhile, obtained a job working for Horizon Airlines (partnered with Alaska Airlines) so Im able to fly to Alaska at my leisure. Sadly, he did not survive much longer at all. 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." Stay tuned., Another indicated, Seatac airspace closed. Yeah I dont know what the burnageis like on a takeoff but yeah. I dont need that much help; Ive played some video games before, he told the controllers trying to help him. The audio between the man known as Rich and air traffic controllers further captured his demeanor. The federal agencies will lead the investigation. He gradually drifted into controlled airspace near Los Angeles International Airport, causing some alarm both to the authorities and to the pilots of at least two commercial jets. He stated that he did not want to hurt anyone,[17][19] and in the final minutes of the communication apologized to his friends and family. Wish me luck! Richard Russell: Man who stole SeaTac plane was warm and compassionate Updated Nov 30, 2022 at 4:37pm. ?, One woman wrote on Twitter, he has stolen a big Horizon turbo prop. This dives into the psychology and reason of why he Hi-jacked a plane and then crashed into his death. Cast Your Vote To Select The Meme Of The Month! Apparently someone stole a plane from SeaTac? ? wrote one woman on Twitter, echoing the comments of many people who heard the audio. The Pierce County Sheriff wrote on Twitter, Stolen horizon airplane crashed into Ketron island. Never really knew it, until now, Richard Russell said at one point. Hearing Mr. Russell speak during his final hour is an emotional experience. Memes about Sky King spread across the internet after the incident. 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." Or he could have had grim plans to take his own life. Mr. Russell was clearly overwhelmed with the world in which he found himself, a world vandalized, a world stripped of his ancestral . [29] An operational supervisor for Horizon Air described Russell as "a quiet guy" who was "well liked by the other workers". I think Im gonna try to do a barrel roll, and if that goes good, Im just gonna nose down and call it a night., Hannah Russell: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. 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. 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." They deemed Russell the Sky King inspiring an outpouring of memes in his memorial and a possible copycat this September. RIP Sky King, a user wrote. We decided to sell and move in 2015, because we were both so far removed from our families. Many saw Russell as a man suffering from depression and sympathized with him. Other video shows him clocking in to work. 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. Richard Russell: Details emerge of a compassionate man after Seattle plane heist and fiery crash. SKY KING 2: RETURN OF THE SKY KING https://t.co/2Uk1sA2oXQ. Beebos intent was not to harm anyone, and he was right in saying that there are so many people who loved him, Mathews said. Some dude stole a plane from #Seatac (Allegedly), did a loop-the-loop, ALMOST crashed into #ChambersBay, then crossed in front of our party, chased by fighter jets and subsequently crashed. I had this dream for 20 years, and if I hadnt done it, I think I would have ended up in the funny farm. That is an example of what we clinicians call good insight.. "Sky King" is a nickname given to 29-year-old ground service operator Richard Russell after he stole a Horizon Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 airliner from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) and died after crashing on Ketron Island in Puget Sound. 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. He was on meth.. I'm listening through the archive of the radio chatter on the #seatac hijacking. Sep 09, 2022 at 02:47PM EDT They opened a bakery and ran it for three years before selling it in 2015 to be closer to Hannahs family. Below are some of the clips. Russells social media accounts have become funeral guestbooks, digitized for the world. As the voice recordings show, Beebos intent was not to harm anyone and he was right in saying that there are so many people who love him.. How was he able to take off without being stopped? He had psychotic depression. 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.. Other audio reported a ground stop was underway at SeaTac, the airport that services Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. Stay tuned., Richard Russell, Rich: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. [39] He was an avid traveler and attended Washington State University Global Campus, majoring in social science. Even the small sections, most of it doesnt resemble a plane.. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose I guess. [31][32] On August 12, the FBI said that it had recovered the flight data recorder along with components of the cockpit voice recorder. Never knew he was fighting a battle non of us knew about. Location of SeattleTacoma International Airport (north) and Ketron Island (south) within northwestern Washington state. 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. The video shows Russell wearing a shirt that reads The skys no limit, as he passed through security at the airport, where he worked. [36] He had been part of a tow team, which repositions aircraft on the airport apron, for about four years. Richard Russell, a ground control agent, died after he stole the plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in August 2018 and drove it into the ground of a remote island in the Puget Sound . He hoped perhaps to commission in the military after graduation. "Guides" RIP Rich. I suspect that most of the time they want to hear some kind of post-mortem diagnosis: He was a paranoid schizophrenic. He was a quiet and well-liked young man who was active in his church. [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. He also posted audio clips of interviews he conducted to SoundCloud for what appears to have been a multimedia college class. We had a ground stop for quite a while here, a dispatcher says. At another point, Richard Russell said, Im down to 2100; I started at like 30-something.. Preliminary info is that a mechanic from unknown airlines stole plane. Happy birthday to the man who keeps me laughing and always improves the view ? she wrote with one in 2017. 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. I dont know how he achieved the experience that he did.. [7], SeattleTacoma air traffic control (ATC) maintained radio contact with the occupant. Glenn Sullivan, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at the Virginia Military Institute and a clinical psychologist in private practice in Lexington, Virginia. "[34], Richard Russell was a Horizon Air ground service agent from Sumner, Washington. After 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 about why and how he undertook the ultimately fatal flight. 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. Saw two fighter jets fly overhead then smoke pic.twitter.com/w0bveGUJQH, McKenna Brown (@mckenna_brown) August 11, 2018, A man named Ben Schaechter wrote on Twitter, Halfway down the runway on Alaska airlines out of Seattle and the pilot slams on the brakes and shares we must go back to the gate. Listening to the audio recordings, I feel nothing but sadness for Rich, for the man who stole that plane at #SeaTac and committed suicide. There is the runway just about a mile off your right side, do you see that? [34][35] The FBI stated, "Interviews with work colleagues, friends, and familyand review of text messages exchanged with Russell during the incidentdid not identify any information that would suggest the theft of the aircraft was related to wider criminal activity or terrorist ideology. [37], Horizon Air CEO Gary Beck stated that, as far as the company knew, Russell did not have a pilot's license. Wikipedia. At one point in the dramatic audio, Richard Russell told the tower he was losing an engine. He was manic-depressive. [37] During his communication with air traffic control, Russell made a complaint about wages, stating: "Minimum wage, we'll chalk it up to that. The perpetrator, 29-year-old Richard Russell, was a Horizon Air ground service agent with no piloting experience. We are aware of an incident involving an unauthorized take-off of a Horizon Air Q400. What have I done? Disclaimer: I am in no way proficient in the arts.. He played athletics in high school in Wasilla, Alaska. 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. He worked at the airline for more than three years, authorities said. The Sky King Richard Russell: Understanding Why He Died To impress a woman, he arrived in a helicopter to take her on a classified mission, officials said. His conversation and tone is very casual. The airline confirmed that an unauthorized take-off occurred. [5] It was not scheduled to fly again that day. Theyre not as easy to fly as, say, a Cessna 150, Beck said. Tower, you need to call and scramble now, one pilot warned, according to the video. Family Left Heartbroken After Airline Worker Steals and Crashes Plane. In a final video that he posted to YouTube, Rich Russell showed an active life full of travel and adventure. [6], The aircraft was stolen from Plane Cargo 1 at the north end of SeaTac Airport[6] and maneuvered to runway 16C via taxiways. Sky-King Rich 'Beebo' Russell FULL AUDIO w/ Air Traffic Control The incident spawned numerous image macros, photoshops and fan arts on 4chan . The libs are trying to solve the housing crisis in deep blue areas by having teachers live with their students. ATC said, "they would give you a job doing anything if you could pull this off", to which he replied, "Yeah right! On August 10th, 2018, Russell stole the airliner from a maintenance position at the Sea-Tac airport. Im going to disappoint them to hear that I did this. 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 . Tilden said that air traffic control was immediately aware that Russells take off in the aircraft was an unauthorized departure.. [39] He attended Wasilla High School, where he wrestled and competed in track and field. Russell, who worked for Horizon Air, a regional subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, flew the plane for 73 minutes before crashing it into remote Ketron Island, which has fewer than 20 residents. 1,012 words / 5:32 To listen in a player, click here. 160. r/lostgeneration. On his blog, Richard talks about how he and his wife once ran a bakery. In this season of life we enjoy exploring as much as possible, whether its a day (or so) trip to one of Alaska Airlines destinations, or visiting a new area of Washington, Russell wrote about himself and his wife online. On LinkedIn, he wrote that he was owner/operator of Hannah Maries Bakery from 2012 through 2015 in North Bend, Oregon. Without Him we would be hopeless. Never actually wanted to hurt anyone. But there appears to be no manifesto, no digital trail of warning signs from Russell. In one blog, he describedaspirations to land a management job or join the military. They said the family is moving forward with the difficult talk of processing our grief and asked for space to mourn. "[38], Russell was born in Key West, Florida, and moved to Wasilla, Alaska, at the age of seven. I lift a lot of bags. "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?" Mourners gathered in the comments section of his YouTube video. 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. He was very, very friendly automatically willing to bring everyone in, Hannah Holmes, who also participates in Young Life, told The Seattle Times. Authorities said Russell was suicidal. The general feeling was, "It is a wonder that more of us don't crack from the tedium and meaninglessness of our consumer culture." This incredible true story is the inspiration for SkyKing, a video installation and project created in summer 2020. Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night: When Faustian Man Has No Way Out #seatac pic.twitter.com/OVtJqphgqo. A 2012 article in the World described how Russell met his wife. And in recordings of conversations with air traffic controllers, Russell joked and laughed, though he was at times contemplative and raw. (More info in comments) 2 years ago today, Richard Russell, an - reddit Like a lot of bags. Everything is shutdown rn pic.twitter.com/AzebdIa3tP, City King (@CityKing_Gank_) September 3, 2022. Well chalk it up to that. I just want you to whisper sweet nothings into my ear, said Rich, who claimed he could fly the plane because he played video games. Residents of the island bore some of the cost for cleaning up, and negotiations were initiated for their reimbursement by Alaska Airlines' insurers. 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. Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. Sky King ~ Richard Russell on Vimeo #iflyalaska #akedchat.. Russell had no formal training as a pilot and did not have his pilots license. 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). Maybe that will grease the gears a little bit with the higher-ups, he said at another point. Its gonna be crazy, he said at one point in air traffic control transmissions. His conversation with controllers revealed limited experience. 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 worked as an assistant pastry chef and waitress, according to her social media account. Horizon Q4 prop hijacked by unauthorized person not a pilot. 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.. The video was widely circulated online and by major news publications (shown below). They turned him into a hero with the name, and with it came a lot of memes. Facebook Richard Russell plane crash video was released. 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. Hello, Love. More recently, he listed his occupation as operations agent for Horizon Air at Sea-Tac since April 2018. He could have envisioned an aerial joyride and return to the ground. Patterson did not end up flying the plane into Walmart, instead landing it in a nearby field where he was arrested. Knowing what you value will help you build the most meaningful life possible. Male is confirmed a suicidal male. Patch confirmed there was a security incident underway at SeaTac. The incident spawned numerous image macros, photoshops and fan arts on 4chan and other online communities. He was married and completing a bachelors degree. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt. In the article, Russell described himself as laid back and easy going. Powered by. Defying attacks, arts return to Somalia with first TV drama in 30 years, Divorced and remarried, these Afghan women are outlaws under Taliban rule. As part of his job, Patterson was responsible for fuelling the aircraft. Rich, you said you had 2100 pounds of fuel left? the controller responded. Ah, Rich, dont say stuff like that, the controller said. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed. "[43] Some co-workers said that Russell had probably trained himself to fly using amateur flight simulation software. On social media, Richard Russell used the name Beebo Russell. Although authorities have not released his name, The Seattle Times identified the man as Richard Russell. Why did I do it? 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. [18] After the incident, Joel Monteith, a pilot for SkyWest Airlines, relayed to an emergency dispatcher that in 2017, he saw Russell and another man "pointing and flipping switches" in the cockpit of a SkyWest aircraft parked at SeaTac Airport. Richard Russell, AKA Rich, the man who took the Sea-Tac plane and crashed it. I dont want to hurt no one. Another called it cathartic and liberating.. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed. Pilot said it was most bizarre thing hed heard in his career. After Russell performed an unauthorized takeoff, two McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle . 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 . [41] They sold the bakery in 2015 so his wife could be closer to her family; they settled in Sumner, Washington, and Russell found employment with Horizon Air. [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. [10] According to reports, Patterson called 911 from the plane and threatened to crash it into a Mississippi Walmart. On August 10, 2018, Mr. Russell, known as Beebo to his friends and family, helped himself to a Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 turboprop and took it on a 75-minute joyride. Nah, I'm a white guy. i cut the audio from a frequency hopper that caught some of what they said to each other. Reviewed by Ekua Hagan. Mona Lazar. He is not a pilot and does not know how to land the plane. Footage of Patterson flying the plane went viral on social media and people quickly started comparing it to the 2018 Sky King incident. A childhood friend remarked that Beebo was loved by everyone because he was kind and gentle to each person he met. He did a barrel roll in a stolen plane and went out in a blaze of glory. We are devastated by these events and Jesus is truly the only one holding this family together right now. pic.twitter.com/5z4BYRBrcU, Kierra Elfalan (@KierraElfalanTV) August 12, 2018. We were married one year later, and one month after that we opened a bakery which we successfully ran for 3 years, he explained on his website of his wife. Who is the aircraft on Runway 1-6 center? an air traffic controller can be heard saying. Someone plucked a bag off a conveyor belt. (shown below). Mr. Russell chatted, not too calmly, but coherently, with an air traffic controller during his solo flight. [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". 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. Acted alone he is 29 year old Pierce county residence. 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 waitress, according to her social media account. This video is not meant to glamorize suicide. I think I might mess something up there too. Legal Information: Know Your Meme is a trademark of Literally Media Ltd. By using this site, you are agreeing by the site's terms of use and privacy policy and DMCA policy. Oh, a purple one! Russell exclaimed. [4][13] A KC-135R Stratotanker refueling tanker was also scrambled from Fairchild Air Force Base to support the F-15 flight. Luke Adams ? . [20], On April 14, 2022, the FBI released 500 pages of previously classified documents related to the investigation. He was a faithful husband, a loving son, and a good friend. Its burned quite a bit faster than I expected., He also said, Im gonna land it, in a safe kind of manner. "[16][19] He added that he "wasn't really planning on landing it. More information as we learn more. 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. He tilted the wings and rumbled low over Puget Sound. In the audio clips, Russell calls himself "broken" and says he knows how to fly a little bit thanks to video games. ", "Plane Thief Said He Trained on Games, Didn't Plan to Land", "NORAD: Fighter jets were trying to direct stolen plane over Pacific Ocean when it crashed", "Towboat crew dropped everything to respond to Ketron Island crash", "Firefighters battle more than flames after Ketron Island plane crash", "Seattle plane crash: 'heartbroken' family remember gentle man who meant no harm", "Ketron Island residents grateful Horizon Air plane didn't crash into homes", "Thanks to everyone for sharing accurate information, insuring the public's safety. Im going to disappoint them to hear that I did this. 1:10. USA TODAY. 0:00. A lot of the people he was helping were troubled kids.. [4][6][9] A tow boat crew was the first to respond. I hope they can make it through this. He said that airline employees go through background checks. 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. According to suicide prevention expert, Dr. Christine Moutier, middle-aged White men account for 70% of deaths from suicide each year. Here's the full story. Videos posted to social media showed the other side of his skills. He grins in selfies at work. I met my husband when a friend sent him over to my house to cure my hiccoughs. 1.6K. Family friend Mike Matthews read a statement from Russells family that said the incident was a complete shock to them. On October 6, 1993, now aged 44, he hiked into the Angeles National Forest and died by self-inflicted gunshot. Because I am a clinical psychologist, people come up to me after a news event like this and ask my opinion. These statements should probably be considered the emotional projections of similarly disaffected people. After five hours, he arrived in a tow vehicle near the plane. I was born in Key West, Florida, and moved to Wasilla, Alaska when I was 7. About to take off. About. Cast Your Vote To Select The Meme Of The Month! Polices ,ambulances ,& fire trucks are everywhere. But as the cockpit recordings and videos of Russells antics spread, and Internet users uncovered his online postings, his final act drew both admirers and detractors. After he landed, Mr. Walters was arrested and charged with unlawful operation of an aircraft within a controlled air traffic area. The incident aircraft was a Bombardier Q400, owned by Horizon Air (and operating for Alaska Airlines) with the registration N449QX[2][3][4] and serial number 4410. I'm listening through the archive of the radio chatter on the #seatac hijacking. 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. You can watch the video above. [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. No one else is thought to have been injured or killed, and the fighter jets did not fire on him, authorities said. HiIm a ground service agent. It had first flown in 2012 and was delivered new to Horizon Air in the same year. I hope this prompts a nationwide discussion about mental healthcare overall. pic.twitter.com/ziBAYv7cgn, Jimmy Thomson (@jwsthomson) August 11, 2018. I dont want to hurt no one. 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. About 1 hour and 15 minutes after takeoff, Russell died by intentionally crashing the aircraft on lightly populated Ketron Island in Puget Sound. steal a Horizon Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 airliner. Never really knew it, until now, Richard Russell said at one point. I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. Im praying for #Rich tonightnot just the guy who stole a plane from #SeaTac, but every guy like Rich who (it seemsbut Ill admit Im assuming a lot here) is suffering and cannot find a better way out. [24] Delayed by the SteilacoomAnderson Island ferry, firefighters from West Pierce Fire and Rescue and other nearby departments arrived on the island about an hour and a half after the crash, where they then contended with the island's thick brush. The Russell family released a statement Saturday evening, saying they were stunned and heartbroken over the incident and the loss of aman they called Beebo. He and his wife Hannah started a bakery in Oregon in their early 20s, according to a 2012 story in a local paperthat depicted a happy, determined couple.