'I wasn't really planning on landing it,' man says after flying off with plane that later crashed near Seattle
He had all the proper security credentials. He had been working his shift and was believed to still be in uniform. The baggage handler didn't seem out of place at all - until he was taxiing down the runway and taking off in a stolen passenger plane.
Richard Russell sparked a combination of amazement and fear as he flew - alone - a 76-seat Horizon Air Q400 plane for more than an hour before it crashed on a wooded area on Ketron Island south of Seattle.
He did a barrel roll. A daring swoop. Officials said they didn't believe he even had a pilot's license.
“Incredible,” Horizon Air President and Chief Executive Gary Beck said Saturday.
But investigators are still trying to understand why the man nicknamed “Beebo” decided to take the plane for a what appeared to be joy ride Friday evening from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Mike Matthews, a family friend, read a statement on behalf of Russell's family Saturday night that said relatives were still trying to process what happened.
“We are stunned and heartbroken," he said. “It may seem difficult for those watching at home to believe, but Beebo was a warm, compassionate man. It is impossible to encompass who he was in a press release. He was a faithful husband, a loving son, and a good friend.”
The statement also said: “As the voice recording show, Beebo's intent was not to harm anyone and he was right in saying that there are so many people who loved him.”
The act also reignited discussions about airport and aviation security, with Alaska Airlines Chairman and Chief Executive Brad Tilden repeating several times Saturday that passenger and employee safety was - and is - the company's primary concern. Horizon Air is a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group.
The FBI special agent in charge in Washington state, Jay Tabb, said Saturday that dozens of investigators were combing the crash site, where it is believed the man died. Officials at the Pierce County medical examiner's office confirmed Sunday they have Russell's body. He was 28 - not 29, as had been widely reported.
“We are diligently investigating this matter,” Tabb said. “We will get to the bottom of it.”
It is believed the man was the only one in the plane, but Tabb said that investigators hadn't confirmed that at the crash site. Officials with Horizon Air said the plane had not been scheduled to fly and was parked at a cargo parking area at the airport.
The man was authorized to tow aircraft. Officials said he rotated the plane 180 degrees, using a push-back tractor to position it for takeoff at 7:32 p.m.
During the flight the renegade pilot bantered erratically with air traffic controllers, who pleaded with him to land the plane, according to officials and dispatch. Officials said they lost contact with him at 8:47 p.m.
“This is probably jail time for life, huh?” said the man, according to dispatch audio reviewed by the Seattle Times. “I would hope it is for a guy like me.”
“Oh, Richard,” said an air traffic controller, “We're not going to worry or think about that. But could you start a left turn, please?”
Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Assn., on Saturday praised the controllers who dealt with the man in the air.
In a statement, Rinaldi said of one of the controllers: “The recordings of the incident display his exceptional professionalism and his calm and poised dedication to the task at hand that is a hallmark of our air traffic controller workforce nationwide.”
Michael Ehl, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's director of operations, said 75 flights were delayed, nine flights were diverted to other airports and five flights were canceled due to the incident.
Ehl said the man who took the plane was authorized to be in the vicinity of the parked aircraft.
“He was totally credentialed,” Ehl said. “He had access to that area legitimately.”
Jeff Price, professor of aviation at Metropolitan State University in Denver, said the incident would probably be a wake-up call for closer scrutiny and tighter security at airports and among airlines, and would require reworking the way employees report “pre-incident behaviors” that might point to a problem.
Price said that as more time has passed since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, security at airports and among airlines and the Transportation Security Administration has gotten more lax. He noted reports that have shown dangerous objects clearing security systems. The Horizon plane theft, he said, would probably force the airline industry to take a closer look at screening and identifying employees within the secure area that might be a danger.
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