“He might have been talking to himself in the cockpit,” she said.Įckrote said the FBI would also be interviewing the man’s family and friends to determine his motive. She said investigators would begin searching the crash site for the plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, which will be taken to Washington, DC, for examination. We commend the interagency response effort for their swift action and protection of public safety.”ĭebra Eckrote with the National Transportation Safety Board told reporters Saturday that the plane’s wreckage was “highly fragmented,” with its wings off and its fuselage upside down. “Federal authorities are assisting with the ongoing investigation, which is being led by local authorities. is monitoring the situation as information becomes available,” she said. President Trump has been briefed on the incident, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. Toward the end of the recording, he told air traffic controllers that “one of my engines is going out.” “I don’t want to, I was kind of hoping that was going to be it, you know?” Oh damn it, I don’t know man, I don’t know!” the man replies. Congratulations, you did that, now let’s turn around that airplane safely and not hurt anybody on the ground.” “All right, Rich, this is Captain Philip. “Nah, I’m a white guy.”Īt one point he seemed to consider turning the plane around on instruction from an airline captain. “Hey, do you think if I land this successfully Alaska will give me a job as a pilot?” he asked. The pilot reported to air traffic controllers that the plane’s fuel was going “down quick” and asked if the incident would land him in jail for life. Later he asks, “can this thing do a backflip you think?”Īt another point, the man mentioned doing a barrel roll, then said, “if that goes good, I’ll just go nose down and call it a night.” He also spoke of being lightheaded and dizzy, and of having “this moment of serenity.” I’ve got a few screws loose I guess, I never really knew it until now.” “I would like to apologize to each and every one of them,” he continued. In the recording, the pilot said that he had “a lot of people that care about me and it’s gonna disappoint them to hear that I did this.” The plane went down after the pilot appeared to be “doing stunts,” the sheriff’s department said. About 20 minutes later there were reports of a large plume of smoke from Ketron Island, between Tacoma and Olympia, she said. “This individual who took the aircraft, who has not yet been positively identified until remains are examined, is believed to have been the only person on the plane when the plane was taken from a maintenance position at Sea-Tac,” it said.Ĭoast Guard officials received reports of the stolen plane just after 9 p.m., Petty Officer Ali Flockerzi told BuzzFeed News. The rogue pilot, who was named Rich in audio recorded during the incident, flew for about an hour before crashing in a wooded area on Ketron Island in Pierce County, Alaska Air’s statement added. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed.” “Aircraft has crashed in south Puget Sound. “An airline employee conducted an unauthorized takeoff without passengers at Sea-Tac,” the airport said. It confirmed in a statement shortly before midnight that the man was a ground service agent, an employee responsible for directing planes for takeoff and other maneuvers, despite earlier reports that he was an airline mechanic. Officials on Saturday declined to name the man, but colleagues and others identified him as Richard "Beebo" Russell, a ground services agent who towed aircraft and handled baggage.Īlaska Airlines said there were no other passengers or crew aboard the aircraft, a Horizon Air Q400 turboprop. The man, identified by officials as a 29-year-old “suicidal male” from Pierce County, Washington, took off with the plane around 8 p.m., telling air traffic controllers he was “just a broken guy” with a “few screws loose” as he attempted to carry out stunts in the sky.
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