![A Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 [Shutterstock]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/shutterstock_1125996137.jpg)
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.
Now the story has come to the small screen through #SKYKING, a documentary directed by Patricia E. Gillespie, known for 2022 films The Fire That Took Her and The Devil You Know.
There is a warning at the start of the movie, available on streaming services Hulu and Disney+: “This film contains distressing themes related to mental health. Viewer discretion is advised.”
Gillespie’s documentary piece combines interviews with Russell’s family and friends, who still appear to be in shock, wondering why they didn’t see the signs of his mental state and if they could have made a difference.
They are filmed individually as they listen to the ATC audio recordings from the event—some of which had not been publicly released before. Their reactions are visceral and emotional—the combination of the sound of Russell’s voice and the brutal honesty as he described his emotional state, calling himself a “broken man” who has just discovered he “has a few screws loose.”
Russell apologizes to the air traffic controller, the Air Force pilots dispatched in F-15s as a precaution, and the Q400 pilot who is online with him trying to literally talk him down. He tells them he studied how to start the aircraft and pretty much learned his maneuvering skills from playing aviation-themed video games, but he doesn’t know how to land the aircraft and is reluctant to try.
Russell’s wife, Hannah, does not appear in the film. The filmmakers note they “reached out to Hannah on multiple occasions and received no response.”
The controller repeatedly asks how many pounds of fuel the aircraft has, because that tells them how much time he has in the air. When it becomes clear that a landing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Tacoma is not an option, it is suggested that Russell turn the aircraft to the west to keep him over the water and away from heavily populated areas.
The story is interwoven with information about his childhood in Wasilla, Alaska. Through home videos, photos, and interviews with family and friends, you get to know “Beebo.” He comes from a blended family with two sets of twins. His parents split up when he was in elementary school, and his mother took the children when she left their father, who is described as having substance abuse issues.
Russell’s mother, aunt, and brothers and sisters interviewed for the film describe him as kind and having Christian values. He earned a college football scholarship to attend the University of North Dakota, but he did not stay long as he did not like the cold climate. He did not partake in the partying behavior that so many freshmen do. A friend who was attending Southwestern Oregon Community College persuaded him to transfer there, and that was where he met his wife-to-be.
Photos at their wedding and in the bakery they opened together show a happy smiling couple, but like so many young newlyweds, they had trouble with finances. Eventually they moved to Seattle to be closer to Hannah’s family.
Russell tried for a career in law enforcement and the military, but both rejected him. According to the film, he found a position as ramp agent with Horizon Air for $12.75 an hour. At the time, the Washington state minimum wage was $11.50 and, according to state records, as of January 1, 2018, the minimum wage in SeaTac was $15.64.
His family, friends, and co-workers noted Russell did enjoy the travel benefits of working at the airline, and he and his wife made several trips in the three years he worked there.
However, according to Andreas, a ramp agent that Russell trained, the combination of hard work and what he described as poor treatment by management and disrespect from flight crews who allegedly referred to them as “ramp rats” and “monkeys in a tug,” wore down Russell.
Russell was becoming more unhappy and spoke with his supervisor about how he could move up in the company. The supervisor suggested he earn a college degree to prepare him for career advancement. Russell enrolled in business school to earn the degree, but the management position was given to another person.
Andreas said it was suggested that Russell did not get the promotion because he was the “wrong kind of white guy,” because he was “white trash.”
In the film, Horizon disputed that assessment.
“We did not and do not discriminate against individuals based on socioeconomic class, race, or any legally protected status,” the airline said. “[We] received no documented complaints regarding the use of derogatory terms like ‘ramp rats’ or ‘monkeys in a tug.’”
Russell was paid according to all applicable laws.
Becoming a ‘Folk Hero’
The video of the Q400 doing dives and a barrel roll over the Puget Sound quickly went viral. There are still thousands of memes and videos out there.
Russell’s family takes issue with this, saying he wouldn’t be happy about becoming a “folk hero” and being depicted as a low-income wage earner that fought back. Of particular concern, they said, is how his story has been adopted and politicized. One family member noted the assertion that he failed to earn the promotion because he was white is not valid because the person who was promoted is also white.
Through memes, Russell was given the nickname of “Sky King,” which is confusing and perhaps a little inappropriate to those familiar with the old radio and later television show of the same name that featured a sheriff who flew a twin-engine Cessna and stopped cattle rustling, bank robberies, and kidnappings by buzzing the bad guys with his aircraft.
One of the most jarring moments in the film is when Russell acknowledges that he doesn’t want to live anymore and talks about closing his eyes and putting the aircraft into a dive, which appears to be what happened. The aircraft came down on Ketron Island, which stretches 1.4 miles long and encompasses 225 acres of heavily forested land only reachable by boat. There are a few cabins on the island, one of which was occupied at the time. Russell was the only fatality.
The film stresses that Russell was never fired upon and was not shot down.
I found this film upsetting in many ways, not the least of which was the fact that I live in the area and remember that night vividly. The outcome could have been much worse. I am thankful that Russell did not turn the airplane into a weapon and appreciative of the way he kept apologizing for disappointing and upsetting those who cared about him.
Shortly after Russell took off and the FAA and ATC realized the potential for disaster, an all-stop was called at Sea-Tac. Local news broadcast stations reported there was an issue involving a ramp agent and a Horizon Air aircraft.
I had several friends and clients who work for Horizon. I texted one who replied right back that he was safe, but they were locked down. Later, he told me he saw Russell in the break room a mere 45 minutes before he absconded with the aircraft.
That night, I heard then saw the Q400 flying west over my neighborhood. It could not have been higher than 2,000 feet. It was followed by a pair of F-15s. I did not see the barrel roll or the crash itself, but I did see the column of smoke rising over the island as the sun set.
I was a full-time flight instructor at the time. Within 24 hours of the incident, I was hired to fly people over Ketron Island to see the crash site. The aircraft’s impact appeared to be straight down, and the fire consumed about 2 acres and was still smoldering when we flew over the area. The wreckage was heavily fragmented.
The FBI led the investigation. In November 2018 the agency determined it was not an act of domestic terrorism.
In the film, Russell’s friends and family portrayed him as a man pushed too far and who finally broke. You can decide for yourself by watching the documentary.
