An airline employee stole a Q400 Turboprop plane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Friday night. The 29-year-old employee was a ground service agent at Horizon Air, a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. According to the New York Times, the handler was thought to be suicidal. The plane crashed some 30 miles away with fighter jets chasing its flight, and killed the rogue pilot. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. 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. Weird times. pic.twitter.com/Ra4LcIhwfU — bmbdgty (@drbmbdgty) August 11, 2018 The flight was “a joy ride gone terribly wrong,” Sheriff Pastor told The Seattle Times. Onlookers from the ground recorded the plane looping and diving before it crashed. Air traffic controllers had tried to help the pilot land safely — while the plane swerved on its flight, the rogue pilot chatted with officials. According to CNN, When a controller suggested getting a pilot on the radio to help the man control the aircraft, he responded: “Nah, I mean, I don’t need that much help. I’ve played some video games before,” the man responds.“Congratulations,” an air traffic controller says, “you did that, now let’s try to land that airplane safely and not hurt anybody on the ground.” He talked about the beauty of the sights going by “so fast.” And wondered about how to do a backflip with the plane. “I got a lot of people that care about me and it’s gonna disappoint them to hear that I did this,” the man said. “I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose I guess. Never really knew it until now.” Although the man would have needed TSA clearance to get into the aircraft, inside the flight deck, there would have been no security measures like “an ignition switch with a key,” to prevent him from taking off, The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s College of Aviation dean Alan J. Stolzer told the Times. (source: New York Times) This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>title: Horizon Air Incident Aug 10, 2018 duration: 00:00:44 site: Youtube author: null published: Sat Aug 11 2018 01:45:50 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time) intervention: yes description: To download this video, go to: https://ascorpcomm.sharefile.com/d-s6f392b0abb9453da Man who took Horizon Air plane identified as Richard Russell Jeremy Kaelin used to work with Richard Russell at Verizon Air in 2016, he tells CNNís Dan Simon. Kaelin says Russellís nickname was ìBeebo.î ìAnytime we worked together we had just fun, happy funny, simple, short-minded conversations,î Kaelin said. ìI would say we always had a good time and I would talk to him sometimes in the break room if we happened to have the same break.î ìHe was a nice guy, he was definitely one of the harder working people on the ramps, he was always trying to be faster but yet he still worked in a safe manner. He was always great to work with himówe got our flights out on time, if not early most of the time,î he said of Russell Russell had a good sense of humor and when Kaelin heard his voice on the ATC audio after the crash he said it was sad. ìIt just hurts to hear someone you know and just hear the pain in their voice.î Kaelin says it doesnít surprise him that Russell was able to fly the plane because of some of the requirements for his job. CNN will have a live signal of the upcoming Alaska Air News Conference regarding a plane stolen from Seattle's SeaTac airport. The briefing will include comments from Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Airlines, Gary Beck, CEO of Horizon Air and Mike Ehl, director of operations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Man who took Horizon Air plane identified as Richard Russell Jeremy Kaelin used to work with Richard Russell at Verizon Air in 2016, he tells CNNís Dan Simon. Kaelin says Russellís nickname was ìBeebo.î ìAnytime we worked together we had just fun, happy funny, simple, short-minded conversations,î Kaelin said. ìI would say we always had a good time and I would talk to him sometimes in the break room if we happened to have the same break.î ìHe was a nice guy, he was definitely one of the harder working people on the ramps, he was always trying to be faster but yet he still worked in a safe manner. He was always great to work with himówe got our flights out on time, if not early most of the time,î he said of Russell Russell had a good sense of humor and when Kaelin heard his voice on the ATC audio after the crash he said it was sad. ìIt just hurts to hear someone you know and just hear the pain in their voice.î Kaelin says it doesnít surprise him that Russell was able to fly the plane because of some of the requirements for his job. (CNN) — 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. “This is a complete shock to us,” the family said in a statement Saturday night. “We are devastated by these events, and Jesus is truly the only one holding this family together right now.” The statement said Russell, 29, was “a faithful husband, a loving son and a good friend.” Referring to audio recordings of Russell talking to air traffic control during his hour-long flight, the statement said his “intent was not to harm anyone. He was right in saying that there are so many people who have loved him.” Russell, a Horizon Air ground service agent for three and a half years, was the only person aboard the plane, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said. 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 incident, which the FBI’s Seattle office did not consider terrorism, raises questions about airport security. 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. 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. After Russell talked periodically with air traffic controllers for about an hour, the plane crashed at Ketron Island,officials said. 01:12 - Source: CNN Hear audio from before plane crash 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. Airports nationwide will now look at whether their security procedures need to change, CNN safety analyst David Soucie said. For one, Russell shouldn’t have been able to board the plane alone, he said. “There is a protocol to not allow anyone singularly to get onboard an aircraft,” Soucie said. “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.” Latest developments Airline and Seattle airport officials revealed the following at a news conference Saturday: – Russell was credentialed to be in secure areas at the airport, said Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Air Group, which owns Horizon Air. – He passed a series of background checks to gain his position, as he didn’t have any criminal convictions. – Airline officials believe he was in uniform and worked a shift Friday, Tilden said. – The plane had been parked in a maintenance area and was not scheduled for a passenger flight, Tilden said. – He had no purpose to be at that plane Friday evening “other than … what he did do,” Tilden said. – Besides his other duties, he was qualified to tow aircraft, said Gary Beck, Horizon Air’s president and chief executive officer.<doc-sep>“I’ve got a lot of people that care about me. It’s going to disappoint them to hear that I did this.” Those were among Richard Russell’s last words to a Seattle air traffic controller on Friday night before the 29-year-old airline employee crashed a stolen Alaska Airlines plane into a near-deserted island in Puget Sound. Russell, who was widely identified as the pilot on Saturday morning, was the sole victim in the crash. Russell’s death and the dramatic moments that preceded it – a passenger plane trailed by F-15 fighter jets cutting rolls against the setting sun – left those who knew him stunned and saddened. His family members said in a statement they were heartbroken. “It may seem difficult for those watching at home to believe, but Beebo was a warm, compassionate man,” the statement said. “As the voice recordings show, Beebo’s intent was not to harm anyone. He was right in saying that there are so many people who have loved him.” Details of the apparent suicide were still emerging on Saturday, and no evidence of Russell’s motivations had been publicized beyond statements he made to air traffic controllers trying to coax him down. Officials were quick to point out that Russell, an employee of three and a half years with Alaska Airlines’ regional subsidiary Horizon Air, passed the background checks necessary to handle baggage and clean aircraft. How Russell, who did not hold a pilot’s license, learned to fly the twin-turboprop Bombardier Q400 that had been parked up for the night is unclear. During exchanges with air-traffic controllers, captured by aviation journalist Jon Ostrower, Russell repeatedly referred to his experience with computerized flight-simulator programs or what he called “video games”. Simulator software that can run on a home computers and realistically replicates the performance of aircraft systems is readily available, according to air-safety experts. The recordings reveal that when a controller asked Russell if he need help controlling the aircraft, he responded, “I don’t need that much help. I’ve played some video games before.” In a later exchange, reported by the Wall Street Journal, Russell said: “I know how to put the landing gear down.” He then added: “I really wasn’t planning on landing it.” Russell took off from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at 7.32pm on Friday and flew, tailed by F-15 Eagle jets, until the plane crashed at 8.47pm into Ketron Island, located 25 miles south-west of the airport. 00:59 Plane stolen from Seattle airport chased by fighter jets – video Speaking with the Seattle Times, one of Russell’s former co-workers described him as a quiet, well-liked young man. “I feel really bad for Richard and for his family. I hope they can make it through this,” retired Horizon Air operations supervisor Rick Christenson told the Times. In what appears to be his personal blog, Russell described himself as a native of Key West, Florida, who moved to Alaska at age seven. He eventually ended up in Coos Bay, Oregon, where in 2010 he met a woman he married the following year. The couple ran a bakery for three years before pulling up stakes and heading to the Seattle suburb of Sumner to be closer to Russell’s in-laws. Writing in the blog two years ago, Russell celebrated his job at Horizon Air. As an airline employee, he wrote: “I’m able to fly … at my leisure.” Russell captured some of his travels to France, Mexico and across the United States in a video uploaded to YouTube in December. “In this season of life we enjoy exploring as much as possible, whether it is a day (or so) trip to one of Alaska Airline’s destinations, or visiting a new area of Washington,” Russell wrote in the blog. Russell does not appear to have had any pilot training. Criminal and air safety investigations likely to shed light on what preparation if any he took for the fatal flight are ongoing.<doc-sep>Though aircraft mechanics have broad access and routinely taxi planes along the tarmac, Schiavo said, ground crew members are not supposed to be allowed inside cockpits, which have locking doors. But she said those security procedures are not always observed, especially for smaller commuter aircraft such as the Bombardier Q400. “It can be a little more casual and a little loosey-goosey, especially if they are doing overnight maintenance,” she said.<doc-sep>
An airline employee stole an empty passenger plane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Friday night and performed dangerous maneuvers in the sky before crashing on a nearby island about an hour later, killing him, officials said. The man was identified by a senior federal aviation source as Richard Russell, whom authorities described as a 29-year-old resident of Pierce County in Washington state and an Horizon Air ground services worker. The incident began when an Horizon Air turboprop plane took off from the runway at 7:32 p.m. local time Friday, with the man identified as Russell behind the controls and no one else on board, officials said. The 76-seat airliner was captured on video doing giant loops in the air and other risky stunts during its hour-long flight. North American Aerospace Defense Command quickly launched two F-15 fighter jets to pursue the rogue aircraft, a federal senior aviation source told ABC News. Meanwhile, air traffic controllers "communicated with the individual who was flying the aircraft to try to help him land safely," the Federal Aviation Administration said. An hour after the unauthorized takeoff, the plane crashed on Ketron Island, a small, sparsely populated island about 40 miles away from the airport. The fighter jets were not involved in the crash, officials said. Aerial footage of Ketron Island showed a large fiery blaze where the plane went down. No one on the ground was harmed and no buildings were damaged, officials said. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport flights were delayed or diverted Friday night due to the incident, with normal operations resuming by around 1 a.m., officials said. "This might have been a joyride gone terribly wrong," said Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor. 'We don't know how he learned to do that' Airline officials are unsure how Russell learned to operate a plane, much less perform flying stunts. There are many switches and levers to even start a plane, Horizon Air CEO Gary Beck told reporters at a news conference Saturday. "We don’t know how he learned to do that." Beck said, adding that the man did perform some "incredible" maneuvers. "To our knowledge he did not have a pilot's license." The man was authorized to be in the area of the airfield where the plane was parked for maintenance, officials said. Beck said he and Brad Tilden, the CEO of Alaska Airlines, the parent company of Horizon Air, are working closely with the FBI, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration to better understand the circumstances of the unauthorized flight. The FBI said it is leading an investigation into the incident, including interviewing the Russell's family and coworkers. Debra Eckrote, the Western Pacific regional chief for the National Transportation Safety Board, said investigators are searching through the plane wreckage to retrieve the flight data recorder, which could help determine a motive. 'I don't want to hurt no one' Audio recordings of the Russell's exchange with air traffic controllers were posted on Broadcastify and confirmed by federal aviation sources as authentic. In the recordings, air traffic controllers can be heard trying to persuade him to land the plane and help him do so safely. They also had experienced pilots radio in to guide him on flying. "I just kind of want to do a couple maneuvers to see what it can do before I put it down," Russell tells air traffic control. "This is probably like jail time for life, huh? I would hope it is for a guy like me," he says a few minutes later. "We're not going to worry or think about that, but could you start a left-hand turn please?" an air traffic controller responds. "I don't want to hurt no one," Russell says. Air traffic control tries to convince Russell to land at the Air Force's nearby McChord Field. "If you wanted to land, probably the best bet is that runway just ahead to your left, again that's the McChord Field. If you wanted to try, that might be the best way to set up and see if you can land there. Or just like the pilot suggests, another option would be over Puget Sound into the water," an air traffic controller says. "Dang, did you talk to McChord yet, because I don't think I'd be happy with you telling me I could land like that, because I could mess some stuff up," Russell replies.