Guy takes his life and a Q400 aircraft

[jeff10049]

https://komonews.com/news/local/stolen-plane-forces-ground-stop-at-seatac-airport

[BruceK]

That's crazy.  From the short ATC transcript I read he didn't seem to have any goal in mind of what he was doing or where he was going. Just an impulsive joy ride?  Or a really fancy suicide?

[94touring]

A skywest pilot several years ago stole a CRJ, hopped in, fired it up, used the reversers to back it off the gate, then put a bullet in his head. 

[gr8kornholio]

Some really stressed out people in this world.  Hopefully it was just him on there and they don't find anything horrific left behind when they figure out who it was.

[94touring]

Probably a mechanic.  Said he was a broken guy and his family would be disappointed.

[jeff10049]

some more info today was a ramp worker I guess and someone posted some audio and some video.
If only someone could of known to talk to the guy on the ground doesn't sound like he was all that bad of a guy but I imagine after takeoff he felt there was no going back to face what he'd done. I mean if your life sucks bad enough to steal a plane it's not like it'll get better after.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/11/us/plane-crash-unauthorized-takeoff/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GzroZxwhJg

[MiniDave]

I'm surprised a ramp guy could fly a multi engine plane like this

[94touring]

It was a mechanic.  The news doesn't know what they're talking about. 

[MiniDave]

As usual......

[jeff10049]

That makes more sense. originally they said mechanic, a mechanic would have some understanding of the systems.

The news never seems to know what they are talking about I found it funny that the CNN made it sound like it was a mistake that he would be able to board the plane LOL :D Apparently they have never been on the ramp its a free for all especially at smaller airports.

Last time we landed at sea-tac we were on a q400 so you just get off outside I wandered off to go check out a bigger plane while waiting for the baggage cart that they were frantically working on the brakes. I guess they were ready to go and the tug couldn't move the plane they managed to replace something that had caused the brake to hang up and only lose 15 minutes got done bsing with the mechanic walked back got my bag again no one noticed or said a thing.
I have driven right up to the maintenance hangers at RDM walked through the side door through the hanger out on the tarmac taken measurements off a random plane of the same type that we were making a maintenance stand for. got in the car and left no one said a word and I didn't see anyone who knew me either.

For all the TSA shit you gotta go through as a passenger, airports aren't all that secure on the outside.

[94touring]

From what I'm gathering from those in the know is it was at the hanger.  A mechanic has enough knowledge to get it fired up, taxii around, and work the radios.  A q400 is a complicated piece of equipment to just go take for a spin.  I'd think he has some previous flight experience considering he flew it pretty well, loops and rolls included. 

[tsumini]

Yeah lots of mechanics checked out for engine run ups, moving planes; nothing to prevent one from taking  a left turn onto the runway. Imagine using flight crews for moving planes around. Probably had hours on MS Flight Simulator.

[MiniDave]

My brother is an A,P & E and he currently works on F-16's at Edwards, he is certified to taxi and so forth, but that's a lot different than actually flying one off the ground, controlling it in the air, doing dives and loops and such so this guy must have had flight training too? Maybe he realized he couldn't land it and was probably going to crash anyway......who knows? The only one who can answer those questions is gone.


"Russell worked for Horizon Air for three and a half years, handling the baggage, cleaning the plane, and was 'tow certified,' allowing him to run the little tractors that pull the planes. West did say that in that role on the tow team, there's access to the cockpit, training on the radio and the ability to move the airplane. "

[BruceK]

I'm kinda amazed by some of the news reports I've seen excellent explaining that airliners "have no keys" needed to start them.   And there is no need to adjust the mirrors either.

[94touring]

I listened to a lot of audio on it yesterday.  He wasn't planning on surviving and sounded like he ran out of fuel potentially in the process.  I will say it's actually pretty impressive he could fly around like Bob Hoover (YouTube Bob Hoover) with apparantly zero experience.  I have thousands of hours instructing with God knows how many intro flights.  People can't even start up and go cruise in a cessna 152 let alone a large turbo prop airliner. 

[MiniDave]

That was kinda my point too, my other brother has been flying for years and I flew right seat with him for probably a couple hundred hours and there is no way I think I could fire one of these babies up and fly off into the sunset.


I thought it was interesting that they scrambled the jets and they didn't reach him till one hour into the flight, and then he crashed - or did they shoot him down?

[94touring]

https://usdailyreport.com/2018/08/11/richard-rich-russell-a-suicidal-man-steals-and-crashes-plane-from-sea-tac-international-airport-touches-people-on-social-media_n_536.html

They were there fairly quick I thought but not sure of exact times.  They wouldn't shoot him down necessarily provided he was away from the general public.  More of an escort and keep an eye in case he headed for the city.  He was also stating he didn't want to hurt anyone and to be honest sounded likeable.  He sounded a few times like maybe he was on something or drunk and said how he was lite headed and vomited, but that could have been from simply flying and doing maneuvers.  Being in the industry and knowing how a lot of airport personnel love aviation and being around planes, him stating he played a lot of video games makes me think he was on flight sim a lot and would have given a kidney to be a pilot.  He clearly had talent but as he said at the end, he was a broken guy.

[jeff10049]

not uncommon for a someone in training to be working the ramp although I haven't heard if he was or had any training yet. Most pilots that I know came up doing about every job at the airport at one time or another. I guess a couple guys I know up at Roberts field knew him maybe I'll hear something next week.
Some people have a natural ability to handle a plane but that still doesn't mean you can work the systems needed to make it go. so he must have had some knowledge even if self-taught.

Do you still instruct Dan? My first flight the takeoff and landing were psychically unassisted but lots of verbal guidance I did stall it a few feet up and slam it down pretty hard but none the less the instructor was happy with me for the first time. Then he also had the ones who after 10+ lessons still couldn't even takeoff and gave up.

[94touring]

I worked the fuel truck, ramp, gate, and ticket counter.  Now as a captain when I get mad and yell at any of these people, I'm like hey I know how to do all your jobs.  Only thing I haven't been is a flight attendant, but I know all their stuff too. 

Let my instructor ratings expire after I got my airline job.  I eventually was the chief flight instructor at a school before getting my airline job.  I have however been selected to be a line check airman for the company.  This means a few things, but primarily I'd take new airline pilots (students) and fly trips with them, teaching them how to fly in the real world with people in the back, into the busiest airspaces on the planet, around the weather I showed in the other thread, and how to "really" fly the plane.  For most this may be their first airline job and first jet they've ever flown.  So they go from a cessna 152 into a multi million dollar jet with extremely complicated systems that has an average landing speed in the low 140 knots range.  My nuts have to be like civil war cannon balls. 

[MiniDave]

Wait a minute, they go from a Cessna to a multi engine jet in one step? I doubt that's what you meant.....

[94touring]

Yeah.  It's what I did too.  I was hired with 2500 hours, 500 of which was multi time in small twin pistons. I was the high time guy. Low time guy in my class had 450 hours and under 100 multi. A buddy of mine was hired with 400 total and 14 multi.  Today after some regulation changes you need 1500 total, but a lot of people won't have much multi time.  Besides, the steam gauge twin engine Seneca I flew is no match for a 53k pound  glass cockpit jet that has around 9k lbs of thrust on each engine.   The learning curve is big.  My sim partner failed out.  There's roughly a 25-35% washout rate in new hire training. 

[MiniDave]

My brother did 500 hours in twin engine jets (Biz jets) plus I don't know how many hours in singles and multi piston engine planes - he wanted to go into the airlines but when he tried there just weren't any real jobs around so he would up flying Biz jets. Now he flies a 737 back and forth to Hawaii full of bank execs and flies the local hocky (?) soccer(?) team to their dates.....

He's rated in 727s, 737s and the new one - 767? along with tons of different biz jets including Hawker, Cessna and Gulfstream G-4. G-5 and G-6.

[94touring]

Usually once you go corporate or airline, you stay on the side you pick. Occasionally I fly with a corporate guy and occasionally someone leaves to go corporate. Same can be said for cargo. 

The latest boeing product is a 787.  757/767 are becoming dated, but if I had my choice of plane to fly it would be a 75. 

[MiniDave]

I thought the newest was the 777, the all composite plane....didn't know about the 787.

Mostly he drives the new 737, it's a gorgeous plane.

[94touring]

The 777 has been around awhile too and none are composite that I'm aware of.  The 787 is composite and came into production just a few years ago.   So maybe it's the 787.  Otherwise only other heavy I know of that's composite is a A-350.  Which is basically an A-330 but lightweight and higher efficient engines.  No U.S. carrier uses them that I'm aware of.   But 787's are everywhere in Chicago.