- [Beebo] Hi, I'm Beebo Russell
and I'm a ground service agent.
That means I lift a lot of bags.
Like, a lot of bags.
So many bags.
Look at all them bags.
Ooh, a purple one.
Yeah, I wouldn't know how to land it.
I wasn't really planning on landing it.
- [Controller] Who knows how to fly one of those aircraft,
but let's see what we can do
and get you in contact with somebody.
- [Beebo] Alrighty, yeah, I just kind of wanna do
a couple maneuvers, see what it can do
before I put her down, you know?
- [Host] What is up, EWU Crew?
Today, we are covering the hijacking of a Horizon Air Q400
and the tragic ending it entailed.
Renowned across the United States as the Emerald City,
Seattle is a paradise like no other.
A bustling metropolis nestled amid lush evergreen forests
boasting of a thriving culinary scene
and the iconic Space Needle.
But in 2018, Seattle became known
for an entirely new and more sinister reason.
As the day turned into dusk on August 10, 2018,
nothing seemed amiss.
It was a bright, slightly chilly Friday evening.
And residents across the city were ready to head out
for a night full of parties and entertainment.
However, at exactly 7:32 pm, all hell broke loose
as rumors of a plane taking off without authorization
slowly started to spread.
Before long, the evening news was filled
with nothing but the story.
- We have been following a developing story
breaking news tonight.
An employee, a mechanic has stolen a plane
out of Sea Tac Airport.
- Yeah, that grand step, Amanda,
definitely creating some chaos here tonight.
- I'm sorry to share with you this evening
that at approximately 8 pm, one of our Q400 airplanes
made an unauthorized takeoff from Sea Tac Airport.
- [Host] Reporters chattered about
how a Horizon Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400,
a small plane capable of carrying
approximately 90 passengers had been stolen
from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport,
suddenly taking off with neither warning nor permission
from air traffic control.
- [Controller] Jet approach welcome final runway
one-six left.
- [Controller] Pull us up.
- [Beebo] Man, I'm a ground service agent.
I don't know what that is.
- [Controller] Get her down, can you get it to go?
- [Beebo] There are a couple of hours, I guess,
but yeah, I wouldn't know how to land it.
I wasn't really planning on landing it.
- [Controller] Who knows how to fly one of those aircraft,
but we'll see what we can do
and get you in contact with somebody.
- [Beebo] Alrighty, yeah, I just kind of wanna do
a couple maneuvers, see what it can do
before I put her down, you know?
A little bit.
- [Controller] I'm sorry, say that again.
- [Beebo] Sorry, my mic came off.
I threw up a little bit.
You know, I...
Oh, shoot.
Man, I'm sorry about this.
I hope this doesn't ruin your day.
- [Controller] Just flying the plane around,
you seem comfortable with that?
- [Beebo] Oh, hell yeah, it's a blast, man.
I've played video games before
so I know what I'm doing a little bit.
- [Controller] Okay, and you can see
all the terrain around you?
You've got no issue with visibility or anything?
- [Beebo] Nah, everything's peachy, peachy clean.
Just did a little circle around Rainier, it's beautiful.
I think I've got some gas to go check out the Olympics,
and yeah.
- [Host] The aircraft had slowly maneuvered its way
to runway 16C.
All the while ignoring frantic demands from personnel
to identify itself.
The crew of an Alaska Airlines jet standing nearby
sent word to the Sea Tac air traffic control tower
that the plane had begun a takeoff roll, its nose
slowly rising into the air as its wheel spewed smoked.
And then, it took off.
Response on the ground was swift.
By 8:15 pm, the Oregon Air National Guard
had already launched two McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagles
from the nearby Portland Air National Guard base
in a bid to intercept the truant plane.
Both aircraft went from zero to supersonic speed,
generating sonic booms as they headed
towards the Puget Sound area.
To support them, a KC-135R Stratotanker refueling tanker
was quickly launched from the Fairchild Air Force Base
as flights in and out of Seattle ground to a halt,
temporarily suspended as a precautionary measure
against the threat.
All the while, air traffic control did their best
to persuade the unsanctioned pilot to land the plane.
- [Beebo] You taking me to the 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.
- [Beebo] Oh, okay, yeah, yeah.
I don't wanna screw with that.
I'm glad you're not screwing up everyone else's day
on account of me.
- [Host] Since their communication
was via an open frequency,
their messages were posted online
and circulated on social media platforms by thousands
of netizens who watched with bated breath
as the terrifying events unfolded before them.
The pilot claimed that he was a broken guy
with a few screws loose who never really knew it until now.
- [Beebo] Minimum wage, we'll chalk it up to that.
Maybe that'll grease some gears a little bit
with the higher ups.
Maybe, yeah.
I think I lost you behind some hills a little,
but I'm coming back up.
Damnit, Andrew, people's lives are at stake here!
- [Controller] Ah Rich, don't say stuff like that.
- [Beebo] Nah, I don't wanna hurt no one.
I just want you to whisper sweet nothings into my ear.
- [Host] When personnel gently suggested
that he land the plane at Joint Base Lewis-McChord,
he staunchly refused.
- [Beebo] Aw man, those guys will rough me up
if I tried landing there.
I think I might mess something up there, too.
I wouldn't wanna do that.
Oh, they 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.
- [Beebo] Yeah, I'm not quite ready to bring it down
just yet, but holy smokes, I gotta stop looking at the fuel
'cause it's going down quick.
- [Controller] Okay, Rich, if you could,
could you start a left-hand turn
and we'll take you down to the southeast, please?
- [Beebo] This is probably jail time for life, huh?
I would hope it is for a guy like me.
- [Host] The strange conversation
with air traffic control continued.
The man asked if landing the plane successfully
would get him a job as a pilot with Alaska Airlines,
and mused that he wanted to do a couple of maneuvers
to see what the aircraft could do.
- [Beebo] Hey, do you think if I land this successfully,
Alaska will give me a job as a pilot?
- [Controller] You know, I think they would give you a job
doing anything if you could pull this off.
- [Beebo] Yeah, right!
Nah, I'm a white guy.
- [Host] Even more unusual was his request
that Tahlequah's coordinates be publicized,
claiming that he wanted to "go see that guy."
- [Beebo] Hey, I want the coordinates of that orca,
you know the mama orca with the baby?
I wanna go see that guy.
- [Beebo] Tahlequah was a killer whale who had made her home
in the waters of the Northeastern Pacific Ocean,
attracting international attention in 2018
after she carried the remains of her calf for over 17 days.
This had become an event that many claimed to be one
of the few instances where an animal made a blatant show
of grief, loss and mourning.
About an hour into the flight,
the aircraft started executing a series
of aerobatic maneuvers over Puget Sound,
footage of which soon appeared on social media.
In a later interview, a professional pilot claimed
that these maneuvers had been done well
without stalling or pulling the wings off.
As these incredible movements came to an end,
air traffic control once again asked the pilot
to land the plane and turn himself in.
- [Beebo] All right, nah, damnit, I don't know, man.
I don't know.
I don't want to.
I was hoping that was gonna be it, you know?
- [Host] He followed this with several heartfelt apologies
to his family, friends and the rest of his loved ones.
Statements that seemed more like goodbyes
rather than expressions of remorse.
This was the moment when the personnel
at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport realized
that the man never intended to land the plane.
The two F-15s that had been deployed early on did their best
to direct the stolen aircraft towards the Pacific Ocean.
However, their efforts were for naught.
- [Beebo] I've got a lot of people that care about me
and it's gonna 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.
- [Host] At 8:43 pm, over an hour
after the unauthorized takeoff,
the Horizon Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 crashed
on Ketron Island in Puget Sound
situated in Pierce County, Washington.
- [Beebo] Just kind of lightheaded, dizzy.
Man, man, the sights went by so fast.
I was thinking I'm gonna have this moment
of serenity, I'd be able to take in all the sights.
There's a lot of pretty stuff, but I think they're prettier
in a different context.
- [Controller] Okay, thank you.
And do you have an idea of how much fuel you have left?
- [Beebo] Oh man, not enough.
Not enough to get by, like, 760 pounds.
I wouldn't mind just shooting the (blanking)
with you guys, but it's all business, you know?
- [Controller] I know, but it's gonna be a little while.
Hunter flight 141, turning left, heading 190 zero,
follow the Dash 8 could use the pressure on him.
- [Beebo] I feel like I need to be, what do you think,
5,000 feet at least to be able to pull this barrel roll off?
- [Controller] Put it on the ground.
- [Beebo] All right, nah, damnit, I don't know, man.
I don't know, I don't want to.
I was hoping that was gonna be it,
you know? - [Controller] Thank you.
Not for long, I feel like one of my engines
is going out or something.
- [Controller] Okay, Rich, if you could,
you just wanna keep that plane right over the water,
maybe keep the aircraft nice and low.
- Pierce County Sheriff's Department says
that it was a mechanic from an unknown airline
that took off with that plane.
Now, this is a look at the crash scene on that island
from our CBS affiliate in Seattle.
It appears that the plane caught fire
after it hit the ground surrounded by trees.
- [Host] The entire aircraft was destroyed,
fatally injuring the pilot and along with it any hope
of discovering why he decided to pull such a stunt.
- [Beebo] So zip line number two,
this one's a little bit more precarious.
As you can see I'll be pretty much
slamming right into a wall.
- [Host] A few hours after the crash,
a towboat crew arrived at the scene,
accompanied by firefighters and rescuers
from the surrounding towns.
Luckily, the two-acre fire
that the aircraft's smoldering remains had caused
was suppressed by dry bush
and the lack of wind fully extinguished it
by the following morning.
Even more fortunate, was the fact that no injuries
were reported despite the aircraft crashing close to a cabin
that had been occupied at the time.
Investigations were led by the Seattle chapter of the FBI
who soon identified the truant pilot
as 29-year-old Richard Russell,
a ground handler for Horizon Air.
Horizon Air was the commuter arm
of the much bigger Alaska Airlines
and its ground handlers were responsible
for managing, loading and handling airplanes
as they sat at their assigned gates.
Those working in this role aren't trained to fly.
So Russell's skills and expertise were a point of interest
for the investigators.
However, one thing was for sure.
Russell's actions had been an attempt to take his own life
and not a terrorist incident.
On August 12, the FBI relayed to the public
that the flight data recorder as well as the components
of the cockpit voice recorder
had been recovered from the crash site,
which they hoped would allow them to gain insight
into how Russell had managed
to pull off a theft of this magnitude.
The nearly destroyed equipment was sent
to the National Transportation Safety Board
to be repaired and processed,
a procedure that would take at least several months.
On November 9, the investigation finally came to a close.
It was determined that Russell's final descent
and subsequent crash at Ketron Island
was a successful attempt to take his own life.
Besides the recordings of his last moments,
extensive interviews with family, friends
and work colleagues, as well as the slew of text messages
that Russell sent as the incident unfolded were used
to rule out the possibility
of a more extensive criminal network.
Despite this mountain of evidence, though,
we will never fully know why Russell did what he did
on the night of August 10, 2018.
- And at first, I thought, Beebo?
Well, I know that name Beebo, but no, that couldn't be him.
And then I saw his picture again
and it was like, oh my, it was him!
But I thought, he was never crazy.
- [Beebo] Not much may be known
about Richard Russell's reasons
for stealing and crashing a plane.
However, a ton of information about his background
has since been released to the public.
Russell was born in Key West, Florida,
moving to Wasilla, Alaska when he turned seven.
There, he became an avid wrestler
and competed in track and field.
By the time he graduated in 2008, he had a whole host
of accolades under his belt, including placing fourth
at the Alaska State Wrestling Tournament,
fifth in the discus
at the State Track and Field Championships
and ran for six touchdowns as a fullback
for the football team.
"He was absolutely the kind of kid you want on your team,"
said Gary Howell, the track and field coach
for Wasilla High School in an interview with the Daily News.
"He was a good kid who worked hard," said Shawn Hayes
during the same interview.
He had been Russell's wrestling coach.
"He was always respectful, no signs of what happened,
"that's for sure."
Affectionately known as Beebo to his family
and close friends, he met his wife, Hanna Stracener in 2011
at a campus Crusade for Christ meeting
at Southwestern Oregon Community College,
marrying her a year later.
The young couple settled in Sumner, Washington in 2015.
Russell planned to either apply
for a management position at Horizon Air
or become a military officer after graduating
with a degree in Social Science
at the Washington State University Global Campus.
To add to that, Russell was known and well-liked
in his church community.
He was an active leader
in a local Christian youth ministry, Young Life,
and was quiet, unassuming and kind,
appreciated by both his neighbors
and his colleagues at work.
However, signs of Russell's discontent with Horizon Air
were very apparent.
He complained about their wages during the flight,
saying that he wanted the airlines' higher ups
to increase their pay.
Even though the turn of events was shocking and tragic,
the public was mostly amazed and impressed
by Russell's flying skills
since his work responsibilities
never put him anywhere near a plane's cockpit.
Shortly after the crash, internet forums were ablaze
with tributes to the Skyking, a moniker given to Russell
to commemorate his prowess at handling the aircraft.
The day after the crash,
Russell's family also released a statement to the media
saying that they were stunned and heartbroken
by the incident and were devastated by the events.
Alaska Airlines took charge of the cleanup
and recovery efforts with representatives
and the company's insurers present on the island
in the days following the incident.
As of 2019, however, efforts are reportedly ongoing
with various pieces from the wreckage still being found
all over the island.
Horizon Air Q400 and Richard Russell
have both gone down in the annals of history
as an elusive and bewildering mystery.
It shocked the nation, as well as the entire world,
but why it really happened and how it ended the way it did
is a secret that Russell took to his grave.
- [Beebo] Hi, I'm Beebo Russell
and I'm a ground service agent.
That means I lift a lot of bags.
Like, a lot of bags.
So many bags.
Look at all them bags.
Ooh, a purple one.