A newly released CCTV footage shows how a baggage handler stole an Alaska Airlines aeroplane in 2018 and flew off the runway. The Horizon Airline baggage handler was identified as Richard Russell, who was 29 years old at the time. Russell flew the plane for 30 miles before crashing it on an island which resulted in his death.
Who Stole the Alaska Airlines Plane?
Richard Russell was a ground control agent working at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Washington. In August 2018, Russell came to work and was wearing a T-shirt which read “The Sky’s No Limit” on the back. The CCTV footage shows Russell walking through the security check and into a restricted area which is meant for airport baggage handlers. After he got through the security check, five hours later he can be seen entering the restricted baggage handler zone where he starts putting his plan into action.
The video clip shows Russell using a tarmac low vehicle to tow and move the Alaska Airlines Q400 bombardier plane into position for take-off. He quickly jumps into the cockpit of the aeroplane and begins his flight. As he boarded the cockpit, Russell announced his take-off as seen in the video,
“Seattle ground Horizon guy. About to take off. It’s gonna be crazy”
He continues,
“Hey, I found myself in a predicament. I’m in the air right now. And just gonna soar around.”
Interestingly, Russell did not have a pilot license and had no prior experience of flying a plane. Reportedly, he learnt to navigate controls while working at the airport and knew a lot about flying a plane. After the plane took off, an air traffic controller can be heard saying,
“He needs some help controlling his aircraft.”
To which Russell casually responded,
“Nah, I mean, I don’t need that much help. I’ve played some video games before.”
While the air traffic control is worried for his life and safety, they are trying to instruct him to land safely. On the other hand, Russell seemed completely unbothered and was heard cracking jokes.
“Hey do you think if I land this successfully Alaska will give me a job as a pilot?”
The Alaska Airlines employee knew there would be consequences to his actions and was not ready to land the plane.
“Oh those guys will try to rough me up if I try land there… I think I might mess something up there too. I wouldn’t want to do that. Oh they probably have got anti-aircraft.”
He can be heard admitting that he did not know he was capable of these actions and wanted to apologise.
“I got a lot of people that care about me. It’s going to disappoint them to hear I did this.”
“I would like to apologise to each and every one of them. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. Never really knew it, until now.”
What happened to the Alaska Airlines employee?
Two US F-15 fighter jets were sent to try and intercept Russell from doing anything that could put his or anyone else’s life in danger. The Alaska Airlines employee also stated that he’s “just a broken guy” and that he’s “preparing for jail time.” However, before the fighter jets could intercept and ensure a safe landing, Russell crashed the plane on a remote island. Russell worked for Horizon Air which was a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. He crashed the plane in Ketron Island which reportedly had less than 20 residents.
He flew the plane for 73 minutes before crashing it. The plane crash resulted in his death. The FBI called it a suicide by the Horizon Air employee as they believed he was knowledgeable enough to avoid the crash if he wanted to.
