Life and death of Seattle ‘pilot’ Richard Russell

The airline worker who stole an empty aircraft from a Seattle airport and took off on a flight that ended in his death, once ran a bakery with his wife and travelled the world.

Richard Russell, 29, liked to be called Beebo, and lived in Sumner, Washington, his social media posts show. He was born in Key West, Florida, and moved to Alaska at the age of seven.

He has not been officially identified by authorities but his family made public his name.

Russell worked for Horizon Airlines as a ground service agent who helped baggage handlers and was part of Horizon’s tow team, moving planes around the tarmac.

In a video on YouTube last December, Russell shows luggage coming off an aircraft, and describes what the life of a ground service agent entails.

“That means I lift a lot of bags, so many bags,” he says. “It allows me to do some pretty cool things, too.”

There are shots of trips including a flight over Alaskan fjords, touring in Yucatan, Mexico, and at a hurling match in Dublin.

There was no mention of studying to become a pilot but in some posts he spoke of his Christian faith and the possibility of joining the military.

Authorities say he commandeered an empty Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft on Friday night from a maintenance area at Seattle-Tacoma airport.

He flew for about an hour, often erratically with attempts at aerial stunts, before crashing on Ketron Island in Puget Sound, about 40 kilometres to the south-west. He was suicidal, the local sheriff’s department said.

His family said they were stunned and heartbroken.

“It may seem difficult for those watching at home to believe but Beebo was a warm, compassionate man,” they said.

Russell’s social media posts often showed him on adventures with his wife, who he said he met in Oregon in 2010.

In his final moments captured by partial recordings of his conversations with air traffic controllers, Russell said he was sorry to disappoint people who cared about him.

“Got a few screws loose, I guess,” he says. “Never really knew it until now.”