@KMPHFOX26: #BREAKING Alaska Airlines says it is aware of an incident involving an unauthorized take-off of a Horizon Air plane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. This video was taken by a woman who… pic.twitter.com/eQeUsRu1nm — TVNews Osorno (@tvnews_osorno) August 11, 2018 A suicidal man took an airplane from Sea-Tac airport for a bizarre flight in which he was chased by fighter planes and then crashed the aircraft. Live and archived dispatch audio from the Air Traffic Control tower, which you can listen to later in this article, captured conversations with the man, and Alaska Airlines has confirmed that an “unauthorized take-off” occurred. Horizon Air Q400 Seattle ATC AudioClick to subscribe! bit.ly/subAIRBOYD Various scanner recordings from liveatc.net and broadcastify.com SEA Ground, Tower, Departure/Approach. Audio starts with another aircraft reporting the Q400 exiting the maintenance/cargo area and taking off without clearance. Radio banter in between, ending with the intercept audio for Rock 41 and Rock 42. suicidepreventionlifeline.org afsp.org AIRBOYD – The most viewed aviation… 2018-08-11T07:51:33.000Z The man who took the plane was later identified as Richard Russell. You can read about his life here. Audio between the man – whose name was given as “Rich” and air traffic controllers – shows they tried to help him. “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. 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 Air Traffic 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. 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.” 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. Here’s what you need to Know: Passengers Reported That Pilots Said Someone Stole a Plane & Audio Captured the Man’s Voice Audio from the SeaTac tower reported that aircraft were lined up on the tarmac and periodically captured controllers’ attempts to communicate with the man as F 15s were scrambled out of Portland. At one 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.” You can listen to some archived aviation audio on the incident here: “Damnit Andrew, people’s lives are at stake here,” Rich says at another point. “Ah, Rich, don’t say stuff like that.” “I don’t want to hurt no one. I just want you to whisper sweet nothings into my ear.” This man archived some of the conversations the man on the plane had with ATC: 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 Many passengers took to social media to report that pilots were telling them a man had stolen a plane. “We are aware of an incident involving an unauthorized take-off of a Horizon Air Q400. We believe there are no passengers on board. More information as we learn more,” Alaska Airlines wrote on Twitter around 9:20 p.m. on the west coast. We are aware of an incident involving an unauthorized take-off of a Horizon Air Q400. We believe there are no passengers on board. More information as we learn more. — Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) August 11, 2018 Aviation audio from the tower said authorities were urging a man who was being called “Rich” or “Rick” to try “to land that airplane safely and not hurt anybody.” Other audio reported a ground stop was underway at Sea-Tac, the airport that services Seattle and Tacoma. You can listen to the live aviation audio from the Sea-Tac Air Traffic Control tower here. 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 is flying around the airport, he does not know how to land it. Happening right now. SeaTac airport.” At one point, “Rich” told the tower he was losing an engine. Periodically, his voice cut into the dispatches, sometimes sounding a bit frantic. At one point, “Rich” (or “Rick”), said on the aviation audio, “This is probably jail time for life, huh? I would hope it is for a guy like me.” People on Twitter who were following the aviation audio reported that the man attempted a “barrel roll” with the plane at one point – or at least claimed he was going to do so. Others reported that the man had supposedly “buzzed” Mt. Rainier. “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. Quite a scary experience. Not entirely sure what’s happening. Someone sneak on board?” 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. Quite a scary experience. Not entirely sure what’s happening. Someone sneak on board? — Ben Schaechter (@Bensign) August 11, 2018 The man called “Rich” said to dispatchers at one point, “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, “yeahhh right. Nah, I’m a white guy.” The last line has caused some controversy on social media. At one point, the man reported that he threw up all over the cockpit, according to the audio. “Keep the aircraft nice and low,” the tower responded to the man at one point, advising him to keep it over the water. “We had a ground stop for quite a while here,” a dispatcher says. However, late in the evening of August 10, 2018, tower audio indicated that some planes were being released. A man named Tyler Lucas wrote, “Sitting on the runway at SeaTac, preparing for departure. Before takeoff, the pilot explains someone stole an airplane, and is flying around near Mt. Rainier.” Lucas added, “They’ve been in contact with the culprit. He doesn’t sound confident in his ability to land back at SeaTac. They are grounding all planes and waiting. Unclear if passengers are on board. #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. They wont let anyone leave the airport while he’s up there. Pilot said it was most bizarre thing he’d heard in his career. #iflyalaska #akedchat.” Jon Ostrower, editor-in-chief of the Air Current, wrote on Twitter, “I’m not prepared to report what I’m picking up on the rumor mill right now. But stay tuned. This night is going to be a very weird one.” He also wrote, “Something very weird is going on over @SeaTacAirport right now. The skies are eerily silent.”<doc-sep>Audio and video from the fatal flight of a stolen Horizon Air passenger plane are providing a fuller picture of the incident Friday evening in the skies south of Seattle. Our partners at KING 5 News combined video from multiple witnesses on the ground with audio of the Horizon Air ground service agent, identified as Richard Russell, 29, as he took off from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and piloted the 76-passenger Bombardier Q400 turboprop plane through a series of daredevil maneuvers before crashing on an island in Puget Sound. At one point, the air traffic controller asks Russell if he’s comfortable flying. “Oh hell yeah, it’s a blast man. I played video games before so … I know what I’m doing a little bit,” he answered. Air traffic controller: “And you can see all the terrain around you? You’ve got no issue with visibility or anything?” Russell: “Nah, Everything’s peachy. … Just did a little circle around Rainier, it’s beautiful. I think I got some gas to go check out the Olympics.” He added later, “I got a lot of people that care about me and 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 till now.” Here’s a statement from Russell’s family, read by a friend. Video: Friend of Richard Russell, the man who stole a plane and crashed it near Seattle makes statement for his family. They're shocked and surprised, call him a faithful husband and loving son. https://t.co/IsDxf8Xst2 pic.twitter.com/A5pdh25Bqx — WPEC CBS12 News (@CBS12) August 12, 2018 The FBI’s Seattle field office issued this statement Sunday. Thank you for patiently supporting the thorough #FBI investigation into the #N449QXIncident. pic.twitter.com/0inxHNwcD0 — FBI Seattle (@FBISeattle) August 13, 2018 The plane crashed on sparsely inhabited Kitron Island, southwest of Seattle. Russell is presumed dead. No one else was injured. The incident highlights a vulnerability in airport security.<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) — Before he crashed and died, the airline worker who authorities said stole and flew a passenger plane in the Seattle area Friday had a wide-ranging discussion with air traffic control – at one point expressing confidence in his flying ability because “I’ve played some video games.” In audio recordings posted on Broadcastify, the man can be heard both resisting and seeking help as a controller and others tried to guide the otherwise unoccupied Horizon Air plane to a landing. The man has been identified as Richard Russell, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation confirmed to CNN on Saturday night. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department described the man as suicidal but did not elaborate. At times Russell was apologetic, expressed his desire to fly toward the nearby Olympic Mountains, worried about lightheadedness and expressed shock at his fuel level’s rapid decrease. Here are portions of Friday evening’s recordings in the order they occurred. The conversations took place before the 76-seat, twin-engine turboprop plane crashed on Ketron Island, about 25 miles southwest of where he took off at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, also known as Sea-Tac: ’I have no idea what all that means’ Early in the flight, a controller apparently is giving instructions to Russel while he flies the plane. Russell: “Yeah, that’s all mumbo ju… – I have no idea what all that means. I wouldn’t know how to punch it in. I’m off autopilot.” Keeping away from other aircraft Russell wonders aloud whether a controller is trying to direct the plane toward “jets.” Controller: “No, I’m not taking you to any jets. I’m actually keeping you away from aircraft that are trying to land at Sea-Tac.” Russell: “Oh, OK, yeah, yeah, I don’t want to want to screw with that. I’m glad you’re not … screwing up everyone else’s day on account of me.” How much fuel? Russell starts commenting on fuel. Russell: “I’m down to 2,100. I started at like 30-something.” Controller: “You said you had 2,100 pounds of fuel left?” Russell: “Yeah, I don’t know what the burn … burnout is like on takeoff, but yeah, it’s burned quite a bit faster than I expected.” Anxiety about Air Force base Multiple times, a controller tried to persuade Russell to land at the Air Force’s nearby McChord Field. Russell: “Oh man, those guys would rough me up if I tried landing there. I think I might mess something up there, too. I wouldn’t want to do that. Oh, they’ve probably got anti-aircraft!” Controller: “No, they don’t have any of that stuff. We’re just trying to find a place for you to land safely.” Russell: “Yeah, not quite ready to bring it down just yet. But holy smokes, I’ve got to stop looking at the fuel, because it’s going down quick.” ’Probably … jail time for life, huh?’ As a controller tries to relay instructions, Russell wonders about jail time. Controller: If you could, could you start a left-hand turn, and we’ll take you down to the southeast, please? Russell: “This is probably like jail time for life, huh? I mean, I would hope it is, for a guy like me.” Controller: “Well … we’re not going to worry or think about that. But could you start a left-hand turn, please? ’I don’t need that much help’ A controller brings on the radio a pilot who will try to relay instructions. Controller: “… Apparently a grounds crewman with Horizon, I guess. And uh, right now he’s just flying around, and just he needs some help controlling his aircraft.” Russell: “Nah, I mean, I don’t need that much help. I’ve played some video games before.” Feeling lightheaded Immediately after that, Russell implies he’s feeling lightheaded. Russell: “I would like to figure out how to get this cabin altitude, like, I know where the box is. I would like to get some, uh, make it pressurized or something, so I’m not so lightheaded.” Controller: “… What’s your altitude?” There is no immediate answer on the recording. About a minute later, in response to an apparently unrecorded question from a controller about autopilot, Russell speaks again. Russell: “Yeah, I don’t know anything about the autopilot. I’m just kind of hand-flying right now.” ’I don’t want to hurt no one’ The recording later picks up a snippet in which Russell says he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Russell: “Damn it … people’s lives are at stake here.” Controller: “Now … don’t say stuff like that.” Russell: “No, I told you. I don’t want to hurt no one. I just want you to whisper sweet nothings in my ear.” Attempts to get him to land As mentioned, controllers brought a pilot into the conversation to help Russell. The pilot appears to be trying to teach him how to use autopilot. Later, the controller again tries to persuade him to land at McChord. Controller: “If you wanted to land, probably the best bet is that runway just ahead and to your left. Again, that’s 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.” Russell: “Dang. You talked to McChord yet?<doc-sep>
A 28-year-old Horizon employee who stole an empty plane from Sea-Tac Airport communicated with air traffic control before crashing on a small Pierce County island. A Horizon employee stole an empty plane from Sea-Tac International Airport Friday night. The 28-year-old man communicated with air traffic control before the plane crashed a short time later. The Horizon Air Q400 airplane crashed on Ketron Island in south Puget Sound after the worker conducted an “unauthorized take-off.” The man piloting the plane has not been recovered. There were no other passengers or crew on the plane and no other injuries to report. On the audio clip from Broadcastify, air traffic control and the man are heard talking about him needing help pressurizing the cabin and running low on fuel. The audio also indicated a man in emotional crisis: COCKPIT AUDIO: “I gotta a lot of people that care about me, and uh, it’s gonna disappoint them to hear that I did this. Um. I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. Um. Just a broken guy. Got a few screws loose, I guess. Never really knew it until now.” (later) AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: “We’re just trying a find a place for you to land safely.” COCKPIT AUDIO: “Yeah, not quite ready to bring it down just yet, but holy smokes, I gotta stop looking at the fuel ‘cuz it’s going down quick." AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: “If you could, could you start a left-hand turn and we’ll take you down to the southeast, please.” COCKPIT AUDIO: “This is probably, uh, like jail time for life, huh? I mean, I would hope it is. For a guy like me.” AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: “Right now, he’s just flying around. And, he just needs some help controlling his aircraft.” COCKPIT AUDIO: “No, I mean, I don’t need that much help. I’ve played some video games before. I would like to figure out how to get this cabin altitude… like, I know where the box is… I would like to get some, uh, make it pressurized or something so I’m not so light-headed.”