OTD 6 years ago, Richard "Sky King" Russel stole a Horizon Air Q400 and after a lengthy conversation about his mental state with Air Traffic Control, did a barrel roll and then crashed into Kenton Island, subsequently taking his own life
Posted by AspergerKid@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 298 comments
Ok-Berry-4652@reddit
If only he could have known how many would remember him, admire him, mourn him. How many people he got talking about the important stuff, by doing what he did. That songs and art would be composed and created in his honour. What a legacy, borne out of a tragedy.
jasperplumpton@reddit
Damn looking back at some videos from this after seeing this post, came across this comment. Kinda crazy/sad
“I was the Captain on Alaska 322 to San Jose that reported the smoking wheels of the Q400 to tower. I subsequently asked tower to launch the fighters knowing full well that the aircraft had been stolen and concerned with the purpose. Later the next day I learned that the aircraft was stolen by a hometown young man that was a peer and friend of my children from Wasilla, Alaska.”
laparotomyenjoyer@reddit
He asked the tower to launch the fighters? I feel like that’s not his call nor theirs to make lol
Spotted_Howl@reddit
I mean the 142nd Oregon ANG Wing at PDX won't know unless someone calls them.
Deathrial@reddit
Do you know why the scramble out of PDX and not McChord?
Spotted_Howl@reddit
This is a full-time domestic security role, so National Guard.
It's Oregon's biggest military installation I think
RemyOregon@reddit
It is, and Seattle is low key our strongest naval and air base that the US has. Seattle is impossible to get to.
LobsterAcademic6045@reddit
Luke Airforce base in Arizona has the most fighter jets and Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia is the world's largest naval base and home to the largest concentration of U.S. Navy forces.
Spotted_Howl@reddit
Sure but you don't need an entire "strong military base" for this mission. If the U.S. somehow came under a surprise attack that the 142nd couldn't manage, JBLM would still be able to scramble everything it had.
RemyOregon@reddit
Yeah I don’t think JBLM has ever really been activated. I could be very wrong, but I think it would take a 9/11 situation on the west coast. I just think it’s cool how many submarine bases are hidden throughout the puget sound.
Deathrial@reddit
Thank you!
AbeLincolnTowncar@reddit
The 142nd out of PDX is responsible for primary air defense from the California border to the Canada border.
supadankiwi420@reddit
Forgive me I'm a noob- These fighters go so fast now that they are completely confident in having that one station cover all that ground?
Deathrial@reddit
Thank you!
AMRAAM_Missiles@reddit
Mcchord does not have a fighter element iirc
Lost_Organizations@reddit
Correct, though they can certainly accommodate fighters if need be
Deathrial@reddit
Thank you!
UnreasoningOptimism@reddit
The generally don't scramble C-17s for this purpose.
RemyOregon@reddit
I do know that they fly 3x a day. 3 jets. It’s mostly for practice but they are airborne quite frequently.
TexasBrett@reddit
I mean if you witness someone stealing an airliner it sort of is your duty to report. Sure this guy ended up crashing into the ground, but it could’ve easily been another 9/11.
shinigamipls@reddit
"9/11 times a hundred? Jesus, that's..."
"Yes, 91,100."
Life-Aide967@reddit
Matt Damon...
No-Environment166@reddit
Its actually 81.81818181818181818181....
(9/11) *100
My_useless_alt@reddit
IIRC one massive failing was how easily this could have been 9/11 v2. By the time that fighters had been alerted, scrambled, and arrived he'd already flown over Seattle multiple times, so if he did want to hit a building he could have. This was brought up as a failing on the part of the USAF/USDHS (Can't remember who) and something they NEED to do better next time, if there is one.
justtijmen@reddit
Also that, but it is literally ATCs job to handle it. So what this guy is saying is BS anyways.
Autoslats@reddit
Do you remember 9/11?
AnvilEdifice@reddit
Norm McDonald remembers it.
justtijmen@reddit
Except it is.
jasperplumpton@reddit
In the ATC recording he says something like “tower, you need to call and scramble now” and the response is “uh…we are” so it’s not like he called them in himself lol
laparotomyenjoyer@reddit
Ah okay that makes a lot more sense, thanks for sharing
Successful_Goat_6439@reddit
Bullshit
nukemechanic@reddit
Got me right in the feels that video also born in the same year. “I think I’m pretty much gonna do a barrel roll, and if that goes good I’m gonna nose down and call it a night. 🥲 RIP fella.
Tittyleds@reddit
I've only just learnt about this via a post with the quote "sad part is, almost every man knows where his head was"
Makes me think about alot, his view from up there, how pumped he must've felt, proud of himself.. I'm surprised when the barrel roll didn't ultimately go wrong..
He said the quiet parts out loud, and I think that's why people look up to him.. I think his family should be proud of him for being one of the many who've made the convo around men's mental health easier
Rest well, stranger
LockPickingPilot@reddit
I don’t know if he ever pushed me back but the chances are high. The company swept it under the rug and basically addressed nothing. The owners of the island he crashed on had to sue to get the wreckage removed
AspergerKid@reddit (OP)
The wreckage was never fully removed. To this day you can find small parts of debris across the island apparently
Yangervis@reddit
No plane crash is ever fully removed. There's no point in hunting down every 1" scrap of aluminum.
Oxcell404@reddit
They sorta did that for Colombia
Spotted_Howl@reddit
Hardly a "plane crash"
Oxcell404@reddit
Space plane
Spirited_Repeat1844@reddit
So we just saying dumb stuff and moving on? Like you swear you said something its a space shuttle not a space plane. One was worth billions and caused multiple deaths
Oxcell404@reddit
Space plane
Spotted_Howl@reddit
No shit. But there is no reason to think it would be managed or investigated like any other "plane crash."
According-Seaweed909@reddit
Bit differnt mate.
Most planes don't crash on purpose with the pilot telling ATC he's gonna "put it nose down and call it a night." There's not much of a need to reconstruct this one. It wasn't a passenger airline that went down suddenly full of people. You don't need to investigate a cause or recover remains when you know the cause and there is only 1 human being to recover.
It also didn't cost the government 1.5 billion dollars to fly like the Columbia shuttle did.
Columbia was studied intensively because 7 astronauts lost their lives over Texas when the craft experienced anomalies rentering the earth's atmosphere. Finding out what went wrong is little more important in the case of the Columbia vs skyking. Like way more more important. Skyking is a fenderbender compared to Columbia. The debris feild of Columbia encompassed multiple states. Figuring out what went wrong mattered way more because by that point we had put 200billion into the shuttle program. There's no comparison. You don't approach the two the same. Thats silly.
Columbia also had elements of radioactivity and technology crucial to NASA they wouldn't want anyone else finding.
Your talking a clear cut suicide by plane with 0 casualties vs one of the biggest space disasters in the world's history. They were never gonna scrutinize skyking like Columbia that's crazy to even insinuate.
The most crucial thing to investigate in skyking was what happened at the airport on the ground.
Oxcell404@reddit
Space.
Plane.
beanburrrito@reddit
Space… plane?
Oxcell404@reddit
Ppace
Slane
LuftHANSa_755@reddit
Slace
Ppane
LockPickingPilot@reddit
I was talking about the large chunks of
Weird-Animal1528@reddit
can you tell me more about that case? an ufo?
Oxcell404@reddit
The Colombia? No it was a space shuttle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia_disaster?wprov=sfti1
illimitable1@reddit
Do you know how they found out that the astronauts had dandruff?
BlindSquirreI@reddit
Pretty obvious what caused the crash of the Q400. Sure, they figured out what happened to the Columbia, but it wasn't immediately obvious.
Oxcell404@reddit
Yea that’s fair
My_useless_alt@reddit
Idk about Columbia, but people do occasionally find pieces of Challenger that NASA missed, generally followed by reporting it to NASA for burial.
Yangervis@reddit
I can assure you that they didn't give every single piece of it.
tomtomclubthumb@reddit
I thought they did. I have read air crash investigation accounts and it seems like they try to gt evry scrap they can and rebuild the plane.
sdn@reddit
They do that only if they need to determine the cause of the crash if it’s unknown.
If it’s suicide by plane there’s no need to do ultrasound analysis of the airframe.
tomtomclubthumb@reddit
That makes sense.
Hirdmannen@reddit
Not surprised, its hard to find all the bits when it gets smashed into a million pieces
RemyOregon@reddit
Especially this cut and dry. The FBI will find whatever they need and leave. Alaska was never gonna pay for landscaping
beastpilot@reddit
There are still pieces of airplane in the grand canyon from the midair in 1956. You can hike and go see them.
SchnellFox@reddit
They'll never find all of the loose screws.
overhypedbananna@reddit
Man I remember watching the news of this and thinking “this man’s playing gta in real life”
Remember thinking this was the coolest thing ever until I heard the conversation he had with atc
Can’t believe it was 6 years ago I remember it so well
Existing-Stranger632@reddit
It’s definitely a fever dream kind of experience. Just flying an empty passenger plane over a dense urban area doing aerobatics.
It’s still pretty shocking to me that he was able to steal the plane as easily as he did. Because it could have been quite literally anybody who was working on the ground at SEATac that day
belldrei@reddit
Urban area doing acrobatics? You haven't seen the vide right?
qldvaper88@reddit
This song replicates that fever like experience quite well, unsurprisingly given it's title.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qNi5IFdXaM
Weird-Animal1528@reddit
this was not a mental health problem. We shouldn´t categorize a common man problem into a "mental health issue"
then we all have that mental health issue? nah man. we are men, we feel him, we have empathy because we all suffer that in life.
Maybe in another era he would have discovered america, traveled the globe with other men like him in a viking ship or traveled to china like Marco polo. just like us. He was encaged by society
He died a hero.-
Ghostav@reddit
What if he crashed in a neighbourhood and killed dozens of innocent people? Would you call him a hero then?
Xenofastiq@reddit
He was mindful enough to not go and endanger other people. There's a huge difference between someone who wants to end things, and doesn't care about the others around them, and someone who is broken, but still prefers to minimize the amount of people who will be affected by what he's doing.
londoncockney1@reddit
He didn’t thou
Fickle_Competition33@reddit
I once heard that the day a depressed person decides to take their own life is one of the happiest, my most liberating days of their lives, because it's other first day in years that they are not haunted with doubts anymore. This guy conversation is proof of it.
Steffixmoon@reddit
Ein Stern brennt in seinen letzten Momenten, der Supernova, am hellsten bevor er letztendlich "stirbt".
Das Phaenomen ist tatsaechlich haeufig bei schwerst depressiven Menschen zu beobachten. Also gebt gut acht auf euch und eure liebsten.♥️
YOURE_GONNA_HATE_ME@reddit
It’s already been 6 years? Holy shit….
iamateenyweenyperson@reddit
I thought this was like 3 or 4 years ago only. Genuinely surprised too that it has been 6 years already.
Cmrippert@reddit
The rona stole 2-3 years from everyone. Its pretty surreal.
Pristine-Tree9380@reddit
Wasn't rona, it was the government initiating the new world order.
Weird-Animal1528@reddit
something about frequencies in the brain. accelerating internal clocks or something. accelerating a genoicide. is like some sort of mandela effect. i am form Argenitna, and people feel the same about this. i guess vaccines and 5g were not some conspiranoids meme joke. and gets scary
hughjeffincok@reddit
They had to update the firmware in the birds
axnjackson11@reddit
COVID lockdown was 4 years ago. Let that sink in.
TorxPhillips@reddit
I know! Time really flies!
Do you realize that The Spanish Inquisition ended 189 years 10 months and 28 days ago. Can you believe that?
(Now I wait)😎
TireShineWet@reddit
My sense of time has been fucked since Covid. Everything has gone really fast
id0ntexistanymore@reddit
Been like that since around 2016 for me, but covid warped it further. I genuinely feel like I lost years of my life and woke up around now a lot of the time. Shits weird.
Spotted_Howl@reddit
Part of it is getting older
Ill_Produce92@reddit
Yeah I ain't feeling this getting older shit, shit sucks and I don't even have kids.
SycoJack@reddit
Perhaps, but COVID was legitimately a mindfuck. From 2020 to some time in either 2021 or 2022 felt like an eternity. But then 2022 onward has gone by so fast that it almost makes it seem like the clock was spinning backward.
Things that seem like they were yesterday were 10 years ago, and things that feel like they were 10 years ago were yesterday.
MadBastard69@reddit
I have no idea why but you have hit the nail on the head. That is exactly how I’d describe the last 4 and a half years.
Weird-Animal1528@reddit
can we call this covid effect ? or something .- i am from Argenitna. same happenned . is like a Madela effect but different. someone save this.
AquilaEye@reddit
I graduated from college in 2016. My sense of time is broken ever since, and COVID made it even worse
DutchBlob@reddit
“I want it that way” by the Backstreet Boys, “Baby one more time” by Britney Spears and “Frozen” by Madonna are all (over) a quarter of a century old now.
:( feels very old
XxNitr0xX@reddit
That's it? I thought it was a lot longer than that..
SirFister13F@reddit
Dude had some pretty serious mental health issues, so I’m not sure celebrating his final fight is the best idea.
I’m not saying don’t remember him, he didn’t harm anyone but himself so it’s not like keeping a killer’s name out of the news. But I’d rather see others on the same boat find help than find an unattended aircraft because he was celebrated in this way.
AspergerKid@reddit (OP)
I'm not celebrating his final flight, but it is still a part of aviation history, especially one that hits me on a personal level because I was dealing with mental health issues of my own when the incident took place in 2018. Suicide is for the most part an act of selfishness especially considering he did say he has some people who love him that he left behind. I don't understand why he's so revered either though.
However, one thing I do respect is the fact that he genuinely tried his best to make sure no one else besides him gets hurt. He really wanted to make sure nobody suffers from his actions. Compare this to Germanwings flight 9525 where a suicidal pilot decided to take 149 people to the grave with him
Schmitty21@reddit
" However, one thing I do respect is the fact that he genuinely tried his best to make sure no one else besides him gets hurt."
No he absolutely did not. Stop with this stupid myth. He took off without takeoff clearance at the busiest commercial hub in the PNW then flew uncontrolled around the PNW's busiest and most crowded airspace. The controllers worked their asses off to keep people safe from him and it's a god-damned miracle he didn't cause midair. Fuck this asshole.
Lloyd-Starr@reddit
That asshole saved a lot of lives. Without him exposing that weakness in security measures for commercial aircraft their was a high risk of another serious incident. Low level employees having unmonitored access to the cockpit between flights is crazy. They seen him and another guy hitting buttons and pulling levers more than once in these aircraft. This means a person with malicious intent could sabotage several planes or worse without having to even be in the plane when it went down. I think 30 million and no lives lost was almost a best case scenario for the airlines to get their security up to a minimum standards. Then tackle the even tougher security standards that would safe gaurd commercial flights in our post 9/11 reality of suicidal hijackers. A suicidal hijacking of a commercial aircraft by a person who is still concerned about the wellfare of others even in this broken state is a miracle whether you want to believe it or not.
Competitive-Gas-2819@reddit
Thank you, someone with some common sense, there could’ve been so many casualties because he decided to be selfish
iamtrollingyouu@reddit
"I don't want to hurt no one."
total casualties: 1 (self-inflicted)
AresV92@reddit
I'm genuinely curious was he ever close to a mid air collision? It would be interesting to see a documentary made about the whole thing. Is there a Mayday episode about it?
cttime@reddit
Probably not but hyperbole is more funner
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
[removed]
aviation-ModTeam@reddit
This subreddit is open for civil, friendly discussion about our common interest, aviation. Excessively rude, mean, unfriendly, or hostile conduct is not permitted.
FrankBeamer_@reddit
Imagine if the guy had a South Asian/middle eastern name. Reaction would’ve been VERY different by the internet, ATC and Air Force
Its actually a joke he was in the air as long as he was
Dani_abqnm@reddit
You’re absolutely right
Admirable_Election37@reddit
Shooting him down wouldn’t have been a bigger risk to the community?
Conch-Republic@reddit
He was out over the puget sound. He would have likely been shot down if he turned towards Seattle.
CapdevilleX@reddit
Stfu
Weird-Animal1528@reddit
this was not a mental health problem. We shouldn´t categorize a common man problem into a "mental health issue"
then we all have that mental health issue? nah man. we are men, we feel him, we have empathy because we all suffer that in life.
He died a hero.-
Maybe in another era he would have discovered america, traveled the globe with other men like him in a viking ship or traveled to china like Marco polo. just like us. He was encaged by society
Antiquated-Tech@reddit
Shut up
ChimpoSensei@reddit
And yet everyone celebrates McCandless as a fee spirited adventurer who got lost on the wild of Alaska instead of worrying about his lack of mental health. King died the way he wanted.
Chopper-42@reddit
The Werther effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide
johnnyhot1970@reddit
Call your friends. Let them know you give a fuck.
Brief-Beat-2271@reddit
I hope his wife and family are recovering over. I really feel for his poor wife he left behind
Blindeye03@reddit
Fucking stupid to see people glorifying that this guy stole a plane and then subsequently killed himself.
Deathdealer6886@reddit
I’ve been saying it since day one, this man is not a hero. He’s “famous” for all the wrong reasons, and I bet someday another person will see the fame he’s generated and also try the same thing. Glorification of mentally ill people isn’t right.
Main-Valuable1312@reddit
Moment of clarity, realizing he was mentally ill and , glorifying that mentally ill person , who did some pretty extraordinary stuff ,For just the average person. Accomplished Pilots would have trouble doing maneuvers like that. And glorifying him has got to be better than not mentioning any of the" so-called mentally stable normal people" in his life who did nothing for his mental health or stability ,who could have stopped any of it before it happened.He is the one stole (unauthorized use) the plane. But every person who was part of his every day life, failed him ,their blame just the sam,. and two fu*KS other than else ,than about their self-centric, rat raced lives .That don't care unless it directly affects their rat race ,then they always have an opinion or something to say the. But not to the obvious (to everyone but bebo) problem,before it escalated into something more serious and affecting them.
Deathdealer6886@reddit
I ain’t reading all that 👍
urlocalvolcanoligist@reddit
ppl like you always think this is an insult, but it's such a self report that you can't read a 3 second paragraph 💀
Deathdealer6886@reddit
Womp Womp?
DarkGinnel@reddit
The word for this is Infamous / infamy.
Deathdealer6886@reddit
Thank you, I couldn’t find the right word lol
DarkGinnel@reddit
It's all good. Happens to us all.
VariationAnxious1950@reddit
People miss him that’s it, no body is glorifying anyone
patchinthebox@reddit
RIP sky king
mute341@reddit
What is this song
Jinxyclutz@reddit
M83 Outro
unreddit_user@reddit
The man is a legend. RIP Sky King.
Connect_Remove1792@reddit
How do we know he wasn't shot down by the f15?
Foxsadilla@reddit
I was in the airport during this and it took me till last year to even hear about sky king
AnythingUpset4519@reddit
God bless you, Sky King!
theCock831@reddit
He was cool…until he got racist
Full-Scheme-5325@reddit
every time I hear the song Astronaut by Wyatt Flores I think of this story for some reason.
AbeFromanEast@reddit
This unfortunate incident is when the majority of the public learned large aircraft usually don't have keys.
Fun-Bluebird-160@reddit
Fuel pump on. Engine on. Full throttle. Pull up.
Congrats, you’re flying.
InternationalSoft134@reddit
Actually, airplanes are locked from the outside, buuut this guy was a ground handler, he did this as a job, it wouldn't have been hard to get a key in his position
Drunkenaviator@reddit
When it takes 15 or so steps to start one up, keys are kind of unnecessary.
TheEdgeOfRage@reddit
Well, given that you can learn to turn it on in a flight sim for 60 bucks and 2h I wouldn't really say that's quite enough security
sonofnom@reddit
The only thing on the aircraft that "might" have a key is the crew rest area and the emergency medical kit. The latter only because it contains drugs and is intended for medical professionals to make use of.
jetsetninjacat@reddit
Actually the front bin, accessible through the cabin in the front on the q400, did have a key. We issued them to all 400 crew. Some model q4s also had a cockpit door key but I believe most airlines removed to prevent accidental lockout.
Olhapravocever@reddit
what's the front bin?
jetsetninjacat@reddit
Front outside cargo bin. There's a door and small closet and it's accessible from the outside and inside.
Olhapravocever@reddit
oh ok thx
SwissCanuck@reddit
Code for the former. Keys are obnoxious in almost any business as they’re physical items that can get lost or not transferred as intended. J As the rental car folk…
beastpilot@reddit
The more expensive the aircraft, the fewer keys it comes with.
Maximilianne@reddit
i mean it isn't that big of a deal, it just means your security policy comes from controlling the facility housing the aircraft. It is kinda like having a computer totally disconnected from the internet and not putting a password on it, relying on controlling physical access to it
greenball141@reddit
Fuck 😢 😭
kernkraftx89@reddit
8 80s ⁶p Yves qui 4q0fvxp
projectimanidea@reddit
Tiktok just showed me the video of their conversation and I'm so sad for him. I wonder if he regret it once he was up there.. it seemed like he was contemplating whether or not he could land the plane. I wonder if he believed he could, that he would've chosen to stay alive and face the consequences. I cant imagine being in a situation like this where theres only one way out.
Open-Pension-256@reddit
XO
No_Cranberry1853@reddit
The conversation was heartbreaking. Poor dude.
No_Significance_1550@reddit
I’ve never heard the whole conversation, just the part where he takes off up to where they change freq’s. He had a sense of humor, I don’t think I want to hear the rest.
dontthink19@reddit
Fuck man, just thinking about it makes me well up with tears... the tones and emotion in that whole conversation is enough to make this man tear up in public places.
Karlos-Danger@reddit
I’m just happy he was talking to someone who half way understood the assignment.
No_Cranberry1853@reddit
Lotsa videos cover it. Im a huge fan of Mentour Pilot. Worth checking out.
JanEric1@reddit
Do you have a direct link
No_Cranberry1853@reddit
I made a mistake of the source but heres one i watched. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TYpaf8WdppM
No_Cranberry1853@reddit
It was funny and sad. You should listen to it.
AD_VICTORIAM_MOFO@reddit
King
https://youtu.be/56ODFJ6EP6Q?si=To3k1_Q9zOtvhNP8
I was working as a rampie when we all heard about this. It was the talk of the hangar for days
Miixyd@reddit
We shouldn’t idolise mental health problems….
Weird-Animal1528@reddit
this was not a mental health problem. We shouldn´t categorize a common man problem into a "mental health issue"
then we all have that mental health issue? nah man. we are men, we feel him, we have empathy because we all suffer that in life.
He died a hero.-
Maybe in another era he would have discovered america, traveled the globe with other men like him in a viking ship or traveled to china like Marco polo. just like us. He was encaged by society
Miixyd@reddit
Depression is a mental health problem.
You can’t call a hero someone who kill’s himself, that’s not what heroes do. Heroes get up on their feet and move on.
He’s not a hero, he’s not a martyr. He decided to end it like this, no one made him do so.
At least he didn’t take anyone else with him
So yeah, we shouldn’t idolise this kind of people, we should look up to the ones that fall and get up again. Those people are stronger than everyone else
Weird-Animal1528@reddit
You will never get it.
Trick-Permission-427@reddit
We need to idolize mental health issues… The more Notice, the more can be done about it. The more that could be done about it, the more men are saved.
Miixyd@reddit
You are mistaking idolising with bringing visibility, those are two different things.
66hans66@reddit
That's not what's happening here. This is mostly empathy.
bumblebeerror@reddit
Almost like empathy and compassion are kind of pivotal to not stigmatizing and ignoring mental health issues. /sarcasm
Adventurous_Pea_1156@reddit
Yeah we should stigmatize them and pretend they dont exist that will work sooo fine
Even_Employee9984@reddit
Worked great in the military.
somedaypilot@reddit
Works great, as intended. 22 times a day, the VA has one less person to worry about
/s in case anyone here is really, really stupid
Even_Employee9984@reddit
The VA: One last chance for veterans to die by the care of their government. But really my local VA is great.
unlovingappetizer@reddit
VA saved my father's life - in another state.
It wouldn't have been saved if it was done locally. The service is god awful in town, but man, up in Portland, they take care of you.
Connect-Tadpole1570@reddit
There’s a difference between not ignoring/stigmatizing something and making cheesy posts idolizing an ill person who could’ve killed lots of people with his stupid stunt
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
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aviation-ModTeam@reddit
This subreddit is open for civil, friendly discussion about our common interest, aviation. Excessively rude, mean, unfriendly, or hostile conduct is not permitted.
Adventurous_Pea_1156@reddit
He didnt kill anyone
Connect-Tadpole1570@reddit
He didn’t, but he very easily could’ve. He stole a complex aircraft that he didn’t know how to operate that is extremely dangerous in the hands of an untrained individual.
We were lucky he didn’t, but it doesn’t change the fact that he was a threat to everyone around him. He needed help, yes, but stop romanticizing this garbage.
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
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aviation-ModTeam@reddit
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Adventurous_Pea_1156@reddit
You sound like an over protective mother
Miixyd@reddit
You sound like you should touch some grass
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
[removed]
aviation-ModTeam@reddit
This subreddit is open for civil, friendly discussion about our common interest, aviation. Excessively rude, mean, unfriendly, or hostile conduct is not permitted.
I-Survived-Wolf-359@reddit
They live on the “what ifs” of life.
Connect-Tadpole1570@reddit
Because I acknowledge the threat of a mentally ill and untrained individual stealing a plane and flying it? You sound retarded
Ruepic@reddit
We shouldn’t, but whenever this comes up people talk about how serious mental health issues are.
crshbndct@reddit
Very true, but as someone with the same MH issues as this guy, this doesn’t make me want to participate in discussions about it and the seriousness of it, rather it makes me jealous that he got to have his big sleep 6 years ago and I’m still here suffering along, wishing I’d done the same thing years ago.
(not the stealing a plane part, just the long sleep)
TheLastCrusader13@reddit
No no you should I really wouldnt mind being an idol
Techn028@reddit
I was maintenance at the time and I really empathized with him.
Some nights the sun sets just right, the cool fall air of a wasted summer kisses your cheek, and the distant hum of an airliner sings songs of a better place - you want nothing more than to chase after them. Then the smoke break is over and you head back inside to finish lubing the landing gear.
Bim_Jeann@reddit
This is beautifully written, seriously.
pattern_altitude@reddit
Damn, man. Thank you. Hell of a reminder of the privilege that flying is. Inspiration to keep pushing toward the next great thing.
Moose135A@reddit
Is that what kids call it these days?
Techn028@reddit
I'm partial to "Purging the accumulator"
Eldrake@reddit
Poetic. Beautifully put.
Minnow125@reddit
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAPCLxcvU4U/?igsh=MXhucHIwbzZhM3lsYw==
maturesexycouple@reddit
Did he perform a barrel roll? I thought he did a loop. Most people don’t seem to know the difference and just say “barrel roll” because it sounds cool.
Conch-Republic@reddit
He basically did a sloppy aileron roll which kind of turned into a barrel roll.
Kotukunui@reddit
Fell through the mid point from inverted (common issue if you don’t know to push to keep the nose up) and basically turned it into a rough split-S.
TacTiggle@reddit
I’ve been trying to find an actually aerobatic description for what he did, I appreciate it.
Existing-Stranger632@reddit
Tbf a Q-400 is like the last plane you’d want to attempt a barrel roll in
fireandlifeincarnate@reddit
I’d rather do barrel than aileron in it.
Drunkenaviator@reddit
I mean, I could think of a few I'd less like to try.
Royal-Al@reddit
Not with that attitude
drlongfinger@reddit
Or that altitude for that matter
Existing-Stranger632@reddit
Well Tbf my attitude is probably gonna be harder to maintain in a Q-400……
(I’ll see myself out)
JBN2337C@reddit
A barrel roll is kinda both. The plane doesn’t just roll around its center axis (nose stays pointing perfectly ahead) Instead, it climbs up, around, down, and back up, in a helix/spiral shape, rolling level at the same altitude the maneuver began.
In this case, he started an aileron roll. The nose dropped as the roll progressed, since it’s not a powerful aerobatic plane. Ended up in a dive by the end, looking much like the backside of a loop by that point. Managed to pull up hard, skimming the water, and back up.
AspergerKid@reddit (OP)
I also thought it was a loop but apparently he is asking the pilot that was called by ATC if it could do a barrel roll
DeanWhiskey88@reddit
I can't believe it's been 6 years! Oh how time flies. I'll miss you Richard Russel. You were a great friend and a supportive role model during the time I knew you. RIP old friend.
Everyone, this is a great example to always check on your friends, family, co workers etc. On how they're doing... Especially the ones that seem like things are going well in your life. Even life can bring down the strong..
Main-Valuable1312@reddit
We're still trying to just blame bebo, for this and Society is just not getting it .we're just as much to blame as he is .but at least he owned up to his part. We ( Society )just like to point fingers and pass the buck, the blame game .No one ever owning up to assuming guilt for their part. But never learning anything ,never in fact changing any of the problems, always doing the same action expecting a different results which I believe is the definition for crazy. Nose down.
Chris714n_8@reddit
Some may being astounded how often such and similar situations are happening "on a rare but regular basis" ... , but don't get a lot of attention, for some reason.
godDAMNitdudes@reddit
…any examples? Cuz this seems to be a pretty unique type of thing
mckenzie_keith@reddit
"Subsequently" means after. Like he survived the crash, then killed himself. I think "consequently" would fit better. I have listened to the air traffic control recording. Depressing, but also somehow kind of compelling. I am pretty sure he knew he was going to kill himself the whole time, deep down. He was never going to land that plane safely.
Which_Material_3100@reddit
Flew that like a champ
mojo3838@reddit
That quote in the thumbnail still haunts me. Up until the point where he says it, I had written him off as just another lunatic. He then seems to have this moment of clarity, "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 each and every one of them. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. Never really knew it until now."
The moment is fleeting though and he insists on continuing his joyride despite the controller providing options and assistance to land the plane.
snailmale7@reddit
Time FLEWD by
Paulbryn@reddit
How impressive is this skills wise? Like, someone with 0 experience other than video games managing to not only take off, but do a barrel roll and crash somewhere he couldn’t hurt anyone. I don’t know much about planes so I can’t imagine how this was even done
jmlinden7@reddit
The hardest part is landing which he didnt do
qldvaper88@reddit
he landed into our hearts 🥹
Asleep_Horror5300@reddit
These more modern planes are very automated in every regard. It's not rocket science to press the correct buttons in the correct sequence and put it on full throttle and pull the nose up to get it airborne.
I_Am_Zampano@reddit
Almost half the men surveyed think they could land a passenger plane. Experts disagree
Found one of them.
stemgirlBR@reddit
The only people who think flying is hard are pilots and they are generally wrong tbh.
Particular_Cat_2234@reddit
What an uneducated comment.
Asleep_Horror5300@reddit
No need to land shit when all you need to do is get it airborne and hit the side of a mountain.
grain_farmer@reddit
Getting downvoted but it’s true. When I had my first lesson the flight instructor thought I had flown before. No, just been goofing around with games like Air Combat and MSFT Flight Sim 2000 from the age of 8.
If I can start up from cold and dark and taxi an A330 in Xplane after 15 mins on my first attempt it can’t be harder to press the buttons in real like.
If you can drive a car you can taxi the plane. The rest is pretty intuitive on an empty aircraft.
Airbus makes it pretty hard to crash even when pilots are actively trying such as that Russian bird strike.
I am biased as I got my PPL(H) before my PPL(A) but I think the only form of aviation that actually requires instruction to not immediately kill yourself is low inertia helicopters
It’s pretty intuitive to pull back the throttles when the speed goes into the red.
IllllIIlIllIllllIIIl@reddit
Have you ever flown radio control helicopters, like of the "non-toy"/6 channel variety? I'd be curious how it compares to the real deal.
Most folks experience in the RC flying world roughly mirrors what you describe IRL. Just about anyone can successfully get an RC plane airborne and do basic maneuvers without instruction. But everyone I've known who has tried flying a 6ch RC heli has crashed it virtually immediately the first time, even with lots of preparation and with experience flying the toy fixed pitch variety.
I'd love to get my real license some day, but sadly can't for medical reasons.
grain_farmer@reddit
I have played with cheap toy store helicopters but not the fancy ones. It’s funny because the guy in the toy store asked me if I had flown a model before and then said “oh, you will definitely crash it then” but we pretty easy.
I think the real deal might differ because I assume the forces are much for dynamic on the bigger thing.
For example ground effect is very noticeable below 20ft to the extent you need significantly less collective to hover. As you change the collective there are bigger swings in sideways thrust from the tail rotor. Additionally the tail with weather vane with the wind which when you adjust with yaw requires a corresponding change in collective and cyclic to balance it all out. There’s also some inertia where you are making an adjustment that takes a few seconds to become apparent with beginners creating oscillations because they are not ahead of the aircraft. A bit like if you imagine steering a huge ship, initially nothing happens despite you having turned as hard as you can then after a minute it’s now turning too far and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.
I assume some of those exist on a model but assume allot don’t scale down.
Not being able to get your medical is a blessing, it would have saved me a fortune.
Even if you can’t get a licence, might be worth just doing a single 60 min lesson to get a feel. If you have a physical limitations the instruct could handle some of the controls.
SocraticIgnoramus@reddit
I used to fly 6 channel RC helicopters with my dad when I was younger and they’re a real beast. There are a couple of factors that actually make them harder than what I imagine flying a real whirly bird would be (not at all saying that actually flying a real bird would be easier, just doesn’t have these challenges), and that is nose-in flying (or generally just having to do the constant 3D mapping in one’s head to place one’s locus of control orientation into the POV of a cockpit, I flew back before POV camera tech was a thing in the hobby field), and secondly I think the relatively small size of model helicopters makes them quite a bit more difficult to compensate for wind gusts close to the ground.
I never learned how to hover very well at all but I got pretty good at hitting the sweet spot of flying 10-15 feet off the ground in reasonably well controlled circles around myself. I probably destroyed 3-4 sets of rotor heads and tail booms with hard landings, but was lucky enough that I only destroyed the tail rotor assembly once that I can recall.
qaf0v4vc0lj6@reddit
Everyone, including the CEO of Alaska Airlines, was blown away by his flying skills and flight maneuvers.
siouxu@reddit
The hardest part would be startup and takeoff. Beyond that it's playing a video game. There's nothing shocking about learning how to get a modern airplane up and going. A few hours of sim time is more than enough.
qaf0v4vc0lj6@reddit
You should inform the CEO of Alaksa Airlines of how easy it is to fly and how dumb he is for being impressed by the guys skills and flight maneuvers.
siouxu@reddit
This is the first time I've ever heard someone defending managements critique of anyone's flying skills in my 13 years of working in aviation.
Second, you mean Brad Tilden? The guy who overspent on Virgin America for the most inconsequential airline merger of the last 20 years? That CEO?
Asleep_Horror5300@reddit
Do you people honestly here think that flying airplanes is an intuitive skill that only a few people naturally possess and that knowledge or planes and flight only exists in the memories of old masters aka. flight instructors. And that this guy just sat in the cockpit knowing absolutely 0 about flight, airplanes or the plane in question and just intuitively hammered some buttons, got it airborne and just yanked the yoke to make tricks?
It's all available on simulators, manuals and study materials and if you're not mentally handicapped you can learn the sequence of actions to get airborne and how to control the plane.
qaf0v4vc0lj6@reddit
Doing barrel rolls and other stunts in a large aircraft without the wings falling off is not exactly something you can just do after playing video games.
Olhapravocever@reddit
This case made me think how "easy" is to be a pilot
Charlie3PO@reddit
It's not hard to do. Start up is an easy sequence, for which there are many tutorials online. Takeoff is as easy as applying power and waiting until fast enough to get airborne. The roll is as simple as turning the yoke as hard as you can to one side and waiting until the sky is back on top (he almost crashed it during the roll because he didn't raise the nose before entry, so lost a heap of altitude).
It's really easy to fly a plane based on theory alone. It takes training, experience and skill to be able to fly safely and land safely. Throw safety out the window and planes are pretty easy to control though.
qldvaper88@reddit
Ben Howard did a great song about this called
"The Strange Last Flight of Richard Russel"
Bravo1712@reddit
Rip bebo
wkdravenna@reddit
Domestic Terrorist
bordin89@reddit
Literally the FBI said this was not terror-related. Just a sad story all around.
wkdravenna@reddit
Yeah it is sad, super selfish. Stole a plane to kill himself and ruined all the work it took to build it, the people who's jobs depend on having a functioning plane and people who are able to travel on it to see their family and loved ones. He's treated like some kind of anti hero or something it's super weird.
VariationAnxious1950@reddit
Who you gonna call?
wkdravenna@reddit
domestic terrorist busters ? 😅 idk who?
Wohn-Jayne@reddit
RIP Sky King
akopley@reddit
Legend.
davispw@reddit
I saw him! Driving home in Tacoma, it was a GORGEOUS summer sunset, saw two fighters chasing him and thought, “woah, that’s funny”.
It must have been just moments before he did the barrel roll since I’m just a few miles north of Chambers Bay where the famous video was taken. Some friends own property on Ketron Island. Amazing no one was hurt: it’s sparsely populated.
Glitch-Brick@reddit
They shot him down fearing another 911. Not well known fact but very obvious. He was just having a good last time.
That-Guy-Over-There8@reddit
I can't be the only one rock'in this T-shirt.
https://imgur.com/a/TdaEsGn
Connect-Tadpole1570@reddit
Why are we romanticizing this shit? Dude could’ve killed innocent people on the ground. Having mental issues doesn’t mean you get to endanger others.
NyJosh@reddit
If you listen to the ATC recordings he was very clear that he didn't want to hurt anyone and was going out of his way to stay clear of others. He just sounded depressed but had a wicked sense of humor too.
FourteenTwenty-Seven@reddit
He went out of his way to steal a plane and create a dangerous situation
VariationAnxious1950@reddit
Does dangerous situation scare you, wussie
CoastRegular@reddit
I'm totally sure you'd be just chill with him if he'd been doing rolls and split-S's over your neighborhood, huh?
96lincolntowncar@reddit
My wife called me from Steilacoom that day because fighter jets were circling overhead. I assured her nothing was wrong because there's an air force base close by...
96lincolntowncar@reddit
https://www.google.com/collections/s/list/TwLonAHSOwunf1NpJMyJxWlhh826Fg/3yFLiCi46vk
Sowhataboutthisthing@reddit
“Consequently” subsequent never was a thing.
planegai@reddit
Who tf calls him sky king? Fuck that the dude is a selfish asshole.
ColonialDagger@reddit
Fly high, sky king o7
smoores02@reddit
I hope he's in peace whereever he may be
devinkanal@reddit
!remindme 363 days
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Ta-late@reddit
Ketron* island.
smarmageddon@reddit
This recording is still one of the saddest and most haunting I've heard. That line where he says "Just one more barrel roll and we'll call it a night..."
Kruse@reddit
Why are we still glorifying this incident?
crane1901@reddit
That would be Ketron Island.
pocahantaswarren@reddit
This prick sure ruined a lot of people’s evenings. SeaTac was closed for several hours with no departures or landings. And this was during peak travel time in the afternoon. Yeah it’s sad he had mental health issues but doesn’t change the fact that his act was extremely selfish. Glad he didn’t end up hurting anyone else but it could’ve turned out very differently.
loose_noodle@reddit
Rest in Peace Sky King, we'll never forget you.
hdd113@reddit
Wait, that was just 6 years ago? Feels like it happened over 10 years old.
Pastasciutta1@reddit
Rip Skyking 🙏
Existing-Stranger632@reddit
I remember when this happened. Like I was following it live before he crashed. It was a crazy night in the aviation world. And I really felt for the guy, he seemed like such a good dude who just didn’t get the help he needed. It’s good that he didn’t take anybody with him, considering he very well could have done so using this plane.
mrb13676@reddit
RIP Sky King
mr_kaustik@reddit
Fly free Beebo. Barrel rolls forever.
Icy-Peak-2208@reddit
Wow only 6 years!? I could have sworn this happened in 2013 or so!
nickpickles@reddit
🫡 I hope you're at peace, Sky King.
Kalamakid@reddit
“I think I’m gonna nose down and call it a night” He a hero.
NietzschesSyphilis@reddit
Crashed into Kenton Island and then “subsequently” took his own life. His brace-position game must have been next level to survive the crash.
ComposerNo5151@reddit
Yeah. I read that and thought 'subsequently' was pretty poor English.
'Consequently' would be better.
herehaveallama@reddit
This dude - always pour one out for him because he’s an example of a broken man and what mental health.
holzmann_dc@reddit
Rest In Flight. Many of us have reached or been close to a breaking point.
Mr-Plop@reddit
Long live the sky king
Connect-Tadpole1570@reddit
Is this a joke? You do realize he could’ve killed innocent people with his stunt? Why do so many suckers romanticize this crap
Lintydint@reddit
He explicitly made sure to avoid harming anyone
-Badger3-@reddit
Really? He scoped out the island first to make sure nobody was on it?
Frank_McTriumph@reddit
Everyone knows how you feel about it.
TheTonik@reddit
Anyone know if he was ever diagnosed with anything? Was he schizophrenic?
crshbndct@reddit
Just depressed I think.
TypicalRecon@reddit
Fly high sky king
DavidPT40@reddit
He did a roll, then a split-s, was saved by ground effect, and then later on when one engine suffered fuel starvation crashed into an island.
Conch-Republic@reddit
Absolute mad lad
Konoppke@reddit
Not a pilot btw.
Mal-De-Terre@reddit
By definition, the guy flying the plane is a pilot, no?
Konoppke@reddit
If so, how can they ask the passenger cabin if there's a pilot on board?
Mal-De-Terre@reddit
The "another" is implied.
Celemourn@reddit
Jesus, that was 6 years ago?
beretta01@reddit
Dicks out.
Odd-Lab-9855@reddit
That's an expensive way to commit suicide, at least it's an f u to corporations
Liamnacuac@reddit
Where is Kenton Island? I know of a guy in Washington state who stole and crashed a plane after "learning to fly" from playing Microsoft Flight. I think he hit KETRON island. About six miles from an Air Force base, but the closest interceptor is in Portland.
Solid-Cake7495@reddit
I was very tempted by a "Puget Sound flying club" patch recently.
UserEden@reddit
6 years now - fly high, Sky King!
seeyakid@reddit
Damn, 6 years ago already?
woodstownfunk@reddit
RIP
Ropeswing_Sentience@reddit
RIP