Haunting final words of airport worker before he crashed plane on purpose - The Mirror

Richard Russell, a ground service agent without any flying experience, commandeered a plane at the airport where he worked, chatting with air traffic control until his final devastating moments

On August 10, 2018, the unthinkable happened when an airport worker with no flight experience stole a plane before crashing it on a remote island. Shortly before he died, he delivered a final message to ground crew members trying to resolve the terrifying situation

Richard Russell, remembered as being a "warm, compassionate man", had worked as a ground service agent for Alaska Airlines, with his duties including towing, pushing and de-icing aircraft, as well as handling baggage. Then one day everything changed when Russell, known as "Beebo" to loved ones, managed to access Seattle-Tacoma International Airport 's tug and remote cargo area using his employee badge. It was here that he found the Horizon Air Q400 craft, unlocked, unguarded and with an empty cockpit.

Boarding the plane to start the engines, the 28-year-old got out briefly to reboard the tug and turn the plane to face the runway. It was then that Russell boarded the craft once more, getting the propellers whirring before taking off to the skies. It would be the last time his feet would touch the earth.

For more than an hour and 15 minutes, Russell flew over Tacoma, heading south for Mount Rainier, a 14,500-foot volcano which overlooks the Puget Sound. As he soared through the skies, Russell chatted amicably with air traffic controllers, cracking jokes and even apologising for his antics. When asked whether he was comfortable piloting the craft, Russell enthusiastically responded: "Oh hell yeah, it's a blast man. I've played video games before so, uh, I know what I'm doing a little bit."

At one point, as ATC tried to encourage Russell to turn autopilot on, Russell jested, "Hey, you think if I land this successfully, Alaska would give me a job as a pilot?". The controller on the ground replied, "You know, I think they would give you a job doing anything if you can pull this off." "Yeah, right!" Russell said in return.

The ATC team attempted to get Russell to land the plane safely, suggesting that he could bring it down on the water. However, Russell continued on his solitary journey, saying that he wanted to see the Olympic Mountains, northwest of the city.

Although the controller warned of the dangers involved in getting too close to the mountains, Russell's communications were at this point becoming more sombre. He shared: "I've got a lot of people that care about me. And uh, it's going to disappoint them to hear that I did this. I would like to apologise to each and every one of them. I'm just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. Never really knew it until now. Um, just, you know."

As the end drew near, "I think I'm going to try to do a barrel roll, and if that goes good, I'll go nose down and call it a night." As two F-15 fighter jets looked on in astonishment, Russell successfully managed to complete a barrel roll.

After making his last final transmission, Russell guided the plane over the Puget Sound, bringing it down on the remote. lightly populated Ketron Island. He was the only casualty. The FBI later determined that "the final descent to the ground appears to have been intentional." Investigators also ruled that the incident was not related to wider criminal activity or terrorist ideology, finding no obvious motivation. After the crash landing, Russell's body was found amid the wreckage, and his death was ruled a suicide.

In a statement released at the time, Russell's family described him as having been "a faithful husband, loving son and a good friend", who had never intended to hurt anyone. After the sad news broke, Alaska Airlines vowed to "learn what we can from this tragedy" in order to prevent anything of this nature from happening again.

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