‘Broken Man’ Who Stole an Airplane: Inside the ‘#SKYKING’ Tragedy

New documentary uses previously unreleased audio and emotional family interviews to explore the mental health crisis that led to hijacking in 2018.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, April 20, 2026 at 03:05 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The article reviews "#SKYKING," a documentary about Richard "Beebo" Russell, a Horizon Air ramp agent who, in 2018, stole a Dash 8-400 from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and intentionally crashed it after a 75-minute flight.
The documentary delves into Russell's deteriorating mental health and personal struggles, using interviews with his family and friends, alongside previously unreleased air traffic control audio that captured his emotional state during the incident.
Despite having no formal pilot experience, Russell performed aerial maneuvers, communicating with controllers and a Q400 pilot, before crashing on a remote island, an act the FBI later determined was not terrorism.
The film also explores Russell's frustrations with his low-wage job and lack of career advancement, and highlights his family's discomfort with the subsequent politicization and "folk hero" portrayal of his story.

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On August 10, 2018, a ramp agent for Horizon Air at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA) who had zero pilot experience stole an empty de Havilland Dash 8-400 and took it for a one-hour-and-15-minute joy ride around southwestern Washington state.

All the while he talked with an air traffic controller (ATC) and an experienced Q400 pilot, both of whom tried to get him to land the aircraft. Instead, the pilot, 29-year-old Richard “Beebo” Russell, performed a barrel roll then ended the flight with an intentional crash on a sparsely populated, heavily forested island west of Tacoma.