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In 2018, Richard Russell, also known as ‘Beebo’, managed to steal a Horizon AirBombardier Q400 aircraft and took it for a joy ride. The flight, which ended fatally when it crashed into the forest on Ketron Island, has fascinated aviation enthusiasts since, and now the event will be curated into a documentary that will be available on the streaming platform Hulu, part of Disney+.
On August 10, 2018, Russell managed to steal the Horizon De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 from 
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). The then 28-year-old had no pilot’s license or experience flying an aircraft, and managed to undertake an authorized takeoff from the busy Washington airport. The local air traffic control made radio contact with the plane, and military aircraft were deployed to try to intercept the plane.
The Story Of Richard Russell And The Horizon Air Q400
The airplane, which was owned by Horizon and operated on behalf of 
Alaska Airlines, bore registration N449QX and, prior to the plane being stolen by Russell, had arrived early that afternoon after a regular scheduled service from Victoria International Airport (YYJ). The plane had been parked and was not expected to be operated for the rest of the day.
Russell managed to steal the plane from the north end of Seattle airport, at Plane Cargo 1, and Russell was able to maneuver the aircraft to runway 16C. Throughout this process, the Seattle air traffic control tower had attempted to make contact with the aircraft but had received no response. A witness on another Alaska Airlines flight had reported that the aircraft began to commence its takeoff with wheels smoking.
The plane made its unauthorized takeoff at 7:32 pm local time, and as a response, the Air National Guard from the Oregon 142nd Fighter Wing was deployed under the command of NORAD. Flights in and out of Seattle at the time were suspended as a result. When air traffic control finally made contact with Russell, he was described as a ‘broken man’, with a ‘couple of screws loose’.
Stealing a 33-million-dollar plane from the airport
Russell was an airline worker and had no licence or known flight training. He was born in Key West, Florida, and moved to Alaska when he was just seven years of age. In 2015, Russell and his wife, Hannah, moved to Sumner, Washington, and Russell gained employment with Horizon as a ground service agent at Seattle.
Common duties for Russell were that he would handle checked baggage, de-icing of aircraft in winter conditions, and support the towing and pushing of planes when they had arrived at the gate for gate approach, or on departure. As such, Russell had a tractor that was used to rotate empty Bombardier Q400s to tow them to parked cargo or maintenance areas.
On the evening of August 10, 2018, Russell managed to use the tractor to tow the empty Bombardier Q400 N449QX to face towards the runway, got onboard and decided to take control of the plane. It remains unclear as to how Russell knew the steps to operate the turboprop, but the Seattle Times has suggested that he had done training in the cockpit or on a flight simulator.
Transponder Tampering: Couple Flies Stolen Aircraft “Dark” While High On Meth
This practice can be both dangerous and illegal.
Crashing Into The Ketron Forest After 71 Minutes
Russell traveled in the plane for more than an hour and headed towards the Olympic Mountains, and performed a barrel roll. In a recording with air traffic control, Russell apologised for stealing the plane, noting, “I’ve got a lot of people that care about me, and it’s going to disappoint them to hear that I did this. I would like to apologize to every one of them. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. Never really knew it until now.”
Eventually, the Russells admitted that they had not planned to land the plane, and they eventually crashed in the Puget Sound on Ketron Island, destroying the aircraft and killing Russell. Disney+, through its Hulu platform, has developed a new documentary named after Russell’s nickname following the incident, Sky King.
#SkyKing, Panic In The Sky looks at interviews with family and friends, and includes audio and video footage that has never been seen before. The documentary explores the unlikely reactions and the ‘dreams and despair of the American working class’. #SkyKing launches on Hulu from Tuesday, April 14.
