Richard Russell Meant To Crash Stolen Horizon Air Plane: FBI

SEATTLE, WA - Richard "Beebo" Russell intentionally crashed the Horizon Air Q400 turboprop plane he stole from Sea-Tac Airport, the FBI's investigation into the theft has found. The FBI also concluded that Russell acted alone, and the agency will not pursue charges against anyone.

The FBI released its finished report on Friday. Before Russell, 28, crashed into Ketron Island, he had good control of the plane, according to the FBI

"If the pilot had wanted to avoid impact with the ground, he had time and energy to pull the column back, raise the nose, and initiate a climb. Instead, the column remained in a position forward of neutral and moved further forward about six seconds prior to the end of the FDR data, known to investigators as corresponding with the aircraft crash on Ketron Island in Pierce County, Washington," the FBI wrote in a statement.

The plane was stolen around 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 10 while it was in a maintenance position, meaning it was not scheduled for take-off. Russell worked as a ground service employee at Sea-Tac and was the only person on board the plane, according to Alaska Airlines.

Russell's family was shocked by the ordeal. Russell lived in Sumner with his wife. Authorities speculated that he may have been suicidal, but the FBI's report says, "no element provided a clear motivation for Russell’s actions."

"This is a complete shock to us. We are devastated by these events and Jesus is truly the only one holding this family together right now. Without Him, we would be hopeless. As the voice recordings show, Beebo's intent was not to harm anyone, and he was right in saying that there are so many people who loved him," the statement read in part.

In the wake of the theft, the Port of Seattle called the incident "one-in-a-million." Just before the theft, Sea-Tac had increased screening employees.

Here's the timeline of Russell's actions leading up to the plane theft, according to the FBI:

• 2:36 p.m. – Russell arrives at Port of Seattle-operated employee security checkpoint at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for his work shift
• 2:38 p.m. – Russell clears through employee security checkpoint screening, without any anomalies
• 7:15 p.m. – Russell arrives in a tow vehicle at Cargo 1, at far north end of Sea-Tac airfield
• 7:19 p.m. – Russell climbs inside Horizon Air Q400 aircraft #N449QX
• 7:22 p.m. – Russell begins sequence to start aircraft, and propellers start turning
• 7:27 p.m. – Russell exits plane and uses tow vehicle to turn aircraft nose toward airfield
• 7:28 p.m. – Russell re-enters the plane
• 7:32 p.m. – The aircraft pulls away from its parked location
• 7:33 p.m. – The aircraft takes off from the airport
• 8:46 p.m. – FDR data shows end of flight, known to investigators as the aircraft crash on Ketron Island in Pierce County, Washington

Photo: Heavy smoke seen coming from Ketron Island, Photo by Marissa Anthony @marissaaAnthony via Twitter, used with permission