GLENN
GLENN FARLEY TONIGHT WITH WHAT WE ARE LEARNING.
>> Reporter: IT WAS A NIGHT
WHEN WESTERN WASHINGTON WAS
TRANSFIXED TO THE SKY.
>> WHAT WAS THIS GUY DOING.
>> PEOPLE CAUGHT OFF GUARD
BROUGHT OUT THEIR CELL PHONES
AND RECORDED A LOW-FLYING
PLANE.
PLANE.
PLANE. A
PLANE. A PLANE FLYING LOOPS.
>> THE GROUND CREWMAN WITH --
HORIZON A GUESS?
>> AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO WAS
FLYING THE PLANE AND HOW TO GET
HIM TO LAND.
>> I AM SORRY ABOUT THIS, I
HOPE THIS DOESN'T RUIN YOUR
DAY.
DAY.
DAY. >>
DAY. >> DOES FLYING THE PLANE
AROUND, AND YOU SEEM
COMFORTABLE WITH THAT?
>> OH YEAH IT'S A BLAST.
I PLAYED VIDEO GAMES BEFORE SO
I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING A LITTLE
BIT.
BIT.
BIT. >>
BIT. >> RICHARD RUSSELL, 20 YEARS
OLD, WAS A RAMP AGENT FOR
VERIZON AIR.
VERIZON AIR. ONE THING THE FBI GIVES US IS A
TIMELINE.
TIMELINE.
TIMELINE. AT 7:15 PM HE ARRIVES WITH A
TOW VEHICLE AT CARGO ONE AT THE
FAR NORTH END OF THE AIRFIELD.
7:19 PM HE CLIMBS INSIDE THE
HORIZON AIR Q 400 AND STARTS AT
THREE MINUTES LATER.
727 P.M.
727 P.M.
727 P.M. -- 7:27 PM HE USES THE TOW
VEHICLE TO TURN THE PLANE
TOWARD THE RUNWAY.
A MINUTE LATER HE IS BACK
INSIDE.
INSIDE.
INSIDE. AT 7:32 PM THE AIRCRAFT BEGINS
TO MOVE.
TO MOVE.
TO MOVE. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS QUICKLY
REALIZED SOMETHING IS WRONG
DEMANDING THAT THE PILOT OF THE
PLANE ALSO KNOWN AS A DASH
EIGHT RESPOND.
IN
IN ONE
IN ONE MINUTE THE Q 400 IS IN THE AIR.
THE AIR.
THE AIR. THERE IS MORE OF THE
CONVERSATIONS WITH AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLERS.
CONTROLLERS. RUSSELL TALKING ABOUT HIS
AMAZING FLIGHT THAN AN HOUR AND
13 MINUTES AFTER HE TAKES OFF
HE CRUSHES IT ON SPARSELY
POPULATED KETRON ISLAND.
THE FBI SAYS THE CRASH WAS
DELIBERATE SAYING IF THE PILOT
HAD WANTED TO AVOID IMPACT WITH
THE GROUND HE HAD TIME AND
ENERGY TO PULL THE COLUMN BACK,
RAISE THE NOSE, AND INITIATED
CLIMATE.
CLIMATE.
CLIMATE. INSTEAD THE COLUMN REMAINED IN
A POSITION FORWARD OF NEUTRAL
AND MOVED FORWARD ABOUT SIX
SECONDS PRIOR TO THE END OF THE
FDR DATA.
FDR DATA.
FDR DATA. THAT IS REFERRING TO THE FLIGHT
DATA RECORDER.
DATA RECORDER. IS THE FBI'S JOB TO LOOK AT
CRIMES AND INVESTIGATORS
CONCLUDED RUSSELL HAD NO HELP,
THERE WERE NO CO-CONSPIRATORS.
WHAT WE DO NOT KNOW IS HOW THIS
NIGHT STARTED OUT.
WHAT WAS HIS STATE OF MIND?
WAS THIS A JOYRIDE CERTAIN TO
END IN JAIL?
OR ONE FINAL EXHILARATING RIDE
BETWEEN -- BEFORE TAKING HIS
OWN LIFE?
OWN LIFE?
OWN LIFE? THE FBI CONCLUDING NO ELEMENT
PROVIDED CLEAR MOTIVATIONS FOR
BRUSSELS ACTIONS.
BRUSSELS ACTIONS. -- RUSSELL'S ACTIONS.
THERE IS MORE TO THIS, HOW DID
RICHARD RUSSELL LEARN HOW TO
FLY X NO FORMAL TRAINING AND
WHY THIS CASE CONTINUES TO HAVE
NATIONWIDE INDICATIONS.
NATIONWIDE INDICATIONS. WE ARE GOING TO GET INTO THAT
TONIGHT AT 6:30 PM.
>> WHEN THIS FIRST STARTED, I
REMEMBER WHEN WE WERE ON THE
AIR WE THOUGHT TERRORISM FIRST
OF ALL.
OF ALL.
OF ALL. DID THE FBI ADDRESS THE ISSUE
OF TERRORISM?
OF TERRORISM? >> THEY DID, THEY HAD TO CHECK
ALL THE BOXES AND THAT IS WHEN
THEY CHECK.
THEY CHECK. THEY SAID NO THERE IS NO
INDICATION THAT THERE WAS
TERRORISM.
TERRORISM. THE BIG PEARL JAM CONCERT WAS
GOING ON AND FOR FOLKS WHO
WORKS AT -- WORK AT SEATAC THAT
WAS A FEAR THEY HAD.
>> HOW RARE IS THIS KIND OF ACT
TO INVESTIGATE?
TO INVESTIGATE? >> IT'S EXTREMELY RARE BUT ONE
OF THE THINGS THAT COMES UP IN
THIS IS THE GERMAN WINGS CASE
WHERE A PILOT IN THAT CASE OF A
GERMAN AIRLINER CRASHED INTO
THE FRENCH ALPS WITH EVERYBODY
ON BOARD.
ON BOARD.
ON BOARD. IT SEEMS TO BE CLEAR HERE THAT
RICHARD RUSSELL HAD NO INTENTION
OF KILLING OR HURTING ANYBODY
ELSE.
ELSE.
ELSE. BUT
ELSE. BUT THE FACT IS HE IS NOT A
PILOT, HE IS FLYING A LARGE
AIRCRAFT AROUND. HE IS FLYING
OVER SOME POPULATED AREAS, WE
GET A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO THAT
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. THERE WERE RISKS AND THERE WERE
RISKS TAKING OFF IN FRONT OF
AIRCRAFT AT SEA-TAC AIRPORT.
>> WE WERE OUT OF TIME BUT I
GOT [NULL], HAS ANYTHING