The audio in this article has been edited from the original recording of Richard “Beebo” Russell and Sea-Tac officials during the flight of a stolen Horizon airplane over Puget Sound. Portions that do not pertain to the incident have been removed. Audio recordings from the air traffic control tower at Sea-Tac Airport feature the conversation between the tower and the man who stole a Horizon airplane, flew it over Puget Sound, and crashed it on Ketron Island. RELATED: Body, black box recovered from Ketron Island The audio of Beebo comes in clips between other communications between the control tower and other airplanes. But in the handful of clips, adding up to about 11 minutes, the man can be heard indicating that he wanted to do maneuvers, but didn’t focus too much on landing the plane. Beebo was jovial and friendly during much of the discussion, covering how much fuel he had and the sights he was seeing. He does say that flying the plane was “a blast” and that he played video games before, so he had an idea of how to fly it. He talked about a range of things with the control tower, such as how he feels Horizon pays ground service agents a very low wage for their work. He asks the pilot on the line how to pressurize the cabin — he was feeling lightheaded and dizzy. He mentions that he threw up at one point. He also apologized for the trouble he caused and hoped it didn’t ruin the controller’s day. When the air traffic controller or the pilot mention places for him to land, such as McChord Air Force Base, Beebo steers the conversation away. After viewing Mount Rainier, and then flying over to see the Olympic Mountains — which he noted were beautiful — he asked for the coordinates of the orca that researchers are helping in north Puget Sound. In between these statements, he addresses what he was doing. “I got a lot of people that care about me,” Beebo says. “And, uh, it’s going to disappoint them to hear that I did this. 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.” Eventually, he becomes fixated on performing a barrel roll in the turboprop airplane. “Hey pilot guy, can this thing do, uh, back flip thing?” he says. “I think I’m going to try to do a barrel roll and if that goes good, I’m just going to go nose down and call it a night,” he later says. “I’m going to do a barrel roll real quick … I feel like I need to be, what do you think, like 5,000 feet at least to pull this barrel roll off.” At one point, Beebo did roll the plane, coming close to the water. “Alright Rich, congratulations, you did that,” the pilot can be heard on the recording. “Now let’s turn and land that airplane safely and not hurt anybody on the ground” “Alright,” Beebo responds. “Ah damn it, I don’t know, man. I don’t know! I don’t want to. I was hoping that was going to be it, ya know.”<doc-sep>North American aerospace defence command scrambled fighter jets to accompany the plane, which was steered away from Seattle. JOHANNESBURG - An empty Horizon Airlines Plane has crashed after it was stolen by a ground employee from Seattle Tacoma International Airport. North American aerospace defence command scrambled fighter jets to accompany the plane, which was steered away from Seattle and Tacoma by air traffic control. The crash happened on Ketron Island, which is southwest of Tacoma. The airline says it’s trying to confirm who was on board however it believes there were no passengers or crew on board other than the person operating the plane. WATCH: Moments before the plane crashes. [WARNING: Explicit language]<doc-sep>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 A suicidal airport grounds services worker stole an airplane from Sea-Tac International Airport and took it on a dramatic unauthorized flight, where it was chased by fighter planes as he attempted “stunts” in the air before the plane crashed, authorities and multiple reports on social media said. “A joyride gone terribly wrong,” Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said in a news conference, adding that the plane crashed either because the man didn’t know how to fly it or because the man was trying to perform stunts. The 29-year-old Washington State man appears to be dead, but no one else was injured, Pastor said. The pilot was named as Richard Russell by the Seattle Times. You can read about Russell’s life here. Audio captured emotional conversations between the man, named as “Rich,” and air traffic controllers trying to help him land the 76-seat airplane safely. Rich was born in Key West, Florida, moved to Alaska as a child, and once ran a bakery; he dreamed of being in the military and was assigned to unload bags at the Seattle airport, but was not authorized to fly airplanes. His family expressed “complete shock” and remembered him as a compassionate man. Here is a statement from the family of Richard Russell, the Horizon Air employee who stole a plane, crashed it into Ketron Island. “This is a complete shock to us. 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 “Damnit Andrew, people’s lives are at stake here,” Rich said at one point in the audio, which you can listen to later in this article. “Ah, Rich, don’t say stuff like that,” the controller said. “I don’t want to hurt no one. I just want you to whisper sweet nothings into my ear,” said Rich, a Horizon Airlines employee from Sumner, Washington, who claimed he could fly the plane because he played video games. However, at another point Rich admitted he didn’t know how to land the plane and was never planning to do so. “I wouldn’t know how to land it,” he said. Sea-Tac airport confirmed the plane was down a short time later. “An airline employee conducted an unauthorized takeoff without passengers at Sea-Tac; aircraft has crashed in south Puget Sound. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed,” the airport wrote. An airline employee conducted an unauthorized takeoff without passengers at Sea-Tac; aircraft has crashed in south Puget Sound. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed. — Sea-Tac Airport (@SeaTacAirport) August 11, 2018 The audio between the man known as “Rich” and air traffic controllers further captured his demeanor. “I’ve got a lot of people that care about me. I’m going to disappoint them to hear that I did this. 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,” the unidentified man said at one point. I'm listening through the archive of the radio chatter on the #seatac hijacking. Below are some of the clips. pic.twitter.com/ziBAYv7cgn — Jimmy Thomson (@jwsthomson) August 11, 2018 At one point, Rich asked for help in getting the cabin depressurized, complaining he was getting lightheaded. “I don’t need that much help; I’ve played some video games before,” he told the controllers trying to help him. “Ah, minimum wage. We’ll chalk it up to that. Maybe that will grease the gears a little bit with the higher-ups,” he said at another point. Full video form John Waldron on Facebook being shown on CNN #seatac pic.twitter.com/R98bl5uQBr — Cameron Thomsen (@CameronThomsen) August 11, 2018 At another point, Rich said, “I’m down to 2100; I started at like 30-something.” “Rich, you said you had 2100 pounds of fuel left?” the controller responded. “Yeah – I don’t know what the burnage…is like on a takeoff but yeah. It’s burned quite a bit faster than I expected.” VideoVideo related to passengers report stolen seatac plane, grounded flights 2018-08-10T23:49:23-04:00 At one point, “Rich” talked about the serenity of the view. Talking about watching the sights go by. This one got me. #seatacstolenplane Thank you @petersterne for this. pic.twitter.com/xW6oFCYrYe — Jimmy Thomson (@jwsthomson) August 11, 2018 You can listen to more of the archived audio later in this article. “I hope this prompts a nationwide discussion about mental healthcare overall. ?” wrote one woman on Twitter, echoing the comments of many people who heard it. (If you need help, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.) Listening to the audio recordings, I feel nothing but sadness for Rich, for the man who stole that plane at #SeaTac and committed suicide. He sounds like a broken man who needed help. — Luke Adams ? (@luketadams) August 11, 2018 I’m praying for #Rich tonight—not just the guy who stole a plane from #SeaTac, but every guy like Rich who (it seems…but I’ll admit I’m assuming a lot here) is suffering and cannot find a better way out. Here’s hoping that the next Rich crashes on a couch of a good listener. — Joe (@htown_Joe) August 11, 2018 Here’s what you need to know: Fighter Jets Chased the Plane Before It Crashed Into Ketron Island Video showing the moments that the stolen plane crashed outside of Seattle ? pic.twitter.com/ZkHvhouHlN — Kris Hanson (@KrisHansonRCF) August 11, 2018 The man’s bizarre and ultimately doomed flight pushed fighter planes into action. The Pierce County Sheriff wrote on Twitter, “Stolen horizon airplane crashed into Ketron island. Preliminary info is that a mechanic from unknown airlines stole plane. Was doing stunts in air or lack of flying skills caused crash into Island.” The Sheriff’s Department added, “Two military F 15 chased plane but was not involved in crash” and confirmed, “No passengers on plane.” NORAD said in a statement that the fighter jets did not fire on the airplane or shoot it down. FAA reported stolen a/c from Sea-Tac airport and requested DoD assistance. NORAD launched 2x F-15 who intercepted the a/c and were working to redirect the aircraft out over the Pacific when it crashed. The fighters did not fire upon the a/c. Event pass to local rescue and law enf pic.twitter.com/f9wQ6ew80L — NORAD & USNORTHCOM (@Norad_Northcom) August 11, 2018 The fighter jets were scrambled from Portland. The Sheriff’s Department also wrote: “Told F 15s made it within a few minutes of theft of plane. Pilots kept plane out of harms way and people on ground safe. Yay air force . They may not admit for a few days. But is true..” Alaska Airlines also released this statement: Alaska Airlines believes a ground service agent employed by Horizon Air was the individual responsible for flying the Horizon Q400 without clearance from Sea-Tac International Airport around 8 p.m. tonight. The plane, which was taken from a maintenance position and was not scheduled for passenger flight, crashed about an hour later in a wooded area on Ketron Island in rural Pierce County. No ground structures were involved at the crash site. Military jets were scrambled from Portland, but it does not appear that these jets were involved in the crash of the Horizon aircraft. This individual who took the aircraft, who has not yet been positively identified until remains are examined, is believed to have been the only person on the plane when the plane was taken from a maintenance position at Sea-Tac. The man has not been named, but authorities said he was suicidal. “Male is confirmed a suicidal male. Acted alone he is 29 year old Pierce county residence. We are working back ground on him now,” the Pierce County Sheriff wrote. “This is not a terrorist incident. Confirmed info .. this is a single suicide male. We know who he is. No others involved.” He's flying out over the Olympic mountains when his radio starts to become harder to hear. Thanks @BrianJAlford for this one.<doc-sep>
STUDIO CITY (CBSLA) — A Seattle-area airport employee who stole a plane and subsequently crashed it confessed to air traffic controllers why he did what he did Friday evening. The 29-year-old seems to joke with the dispatchers, asking if Alaska Airlines would give him a job were he to land the plane. “I’ve got a lot of people that care about me. It’s going to disappoint them to hear that I did this,” the man identified as “Rich” in the transmission continues. “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.” “Rich” later joked he did not need help landing the plane, since he’d “played some video games before.” He also realizes he is running out of fuel at one point. I'm listening through the archive of the radio chatter on the #seatac hijacking. Below are some of the clips. pic.twitter.com/ziBAYv7cgn — Jimmy Thomson (@jwsthomson) August 11, 2018 Here he is realizing how quickly he is burning through fuel. pic.twitter.com/ftnpowm9D4 — Jimmy Thomson (@jwsthomson) August 11, 2018 The Horizon Air plane eventually crashed. Sea-Tac confirmed the incident on Twitter. An airline employee conducted an unauthorized takeoff without passengers at Sea-Tac; aircraft has crashed in south Puget Sound. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed. — Sea-Tac Airport (@SeaTacAirport) August 11, 2018 The Pierce County Sheriff’s Dept. tweeted the plane was stolen subsequently chased by an F-15 fighter jet. It crashed on Ketron Island, about 30 miles southwest of Seattle. The incident is not being considered an act of terrorism. The sheriff’s dept. said it appeared the man, a mechanic, was either doing “stunts” or flying at his low level of proficiency, ostensibly due to the plane’s movement. Amateur video shows the aircraft flying upside-down at one point. Follow this thread for official info. This is not a terrorist incident. Confirmed info .. this is a single suicide male. We know who he is. No others involved. READ MORE: Death Toll In San Jose Rail Yard Shooting Spree Rises To 9 — Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) August 11, 2018 Alaska Airlines, which operates Horizon out of Sea-Tac, said it is believes there were no passengers on board the Bombadier-made Q400 airliner at the time of the incident. Reporter Gary Horcher earlier tweeted a photo passengers stuck on the runway when the incident was first announced. Airport operations resumed shortly thereafter. Major security incident at SeaTac Airport. All planes are grounded—captain telling passengers a Horizon airliner was taken without authorization, and military jets are scrambling to intercept it. We’re working to confirm information now pic.twitter.com/AQJVzCcxum — Gary Horcher (@GaryKIRO7) August 11, 2018 It was later confirmed two Oregon National Guard F-15s deployed from Portland to intercept the plane. They were given clearance to fire flares, not missiles, at the plane. It is not yet clear if flares were used. A Twitter user posted a video claiming the plane was flying overhead. Shortly after the plane passes, a jet is seen in the distance. Another person posted a video showing a small plume of smoke where the plane crashed. WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE This story is developing.