Seattle plane thief desperate, nonchalant
SEATTLE — He cracked jokes, complimented the professional demeanor of an air traffic controller and apologized for making a fuss.
But the friendly tone of a 29-yearold airport worker who stole a commercial plane Friday night, performing acrobatic stunts before the fatal plunge into a thick island forest, belied his desperate actions.
“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,” Richard Russell said from the cockpit, according to a recording of his conversation with the controller.
The Pierce County medical examiner’s office confirmed Sunday that Russell had died in the fiery wreckage, but whether the crash was deliberate or accidental was one of several topics remaining for investigators.
Others include how someone can simply take a passenger plane from a major airport without authorization. Tragic as Russell’s death was, he could have inflicted vastly more damage had he been so inclined. Potential targets included a sold-out Pearl Jam concert about 12 miles away.
“Last night’s event is going to push us to learn what we can from this tragedy so that we can ensure this does not happen again at Alaska Air Group or at any other airline,” Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Airlines, told a news conference Saturday.
Russell, a 3½-year Horizon employee, worked as a ground service agent. Authorities said he used a tractor to rotate the plane 180 degrees so he could taxi toward a runway. They said it’s not clear whether he had ever taken flight lessons.