Suicidal Seattle airport worker i’d [sic] in mystery motive and hijacking and plane crash.

scallywagandvagabond.com ^ | August 11, 2018 | Christopher Koulouris -

[BenLurkin]

The worker, who worked for Horizontal Air at Seattle Tacoma Airport for nearly four years according to his Linkedn account operated as a ground service agent and operations agent loading bags.

...worker’s personal blog revealed Russell living in Pierce County with his wife, Hannah who he married in 2011 after meeting her in school the year before. The ground service agent, referred to as ‘Rich’ and ‘Richard’ by air traffic controllers, was born in Key West, Florida and moving to Alaska as a child.

... Russell and Hannah opened a bakery called Hannah Marie’s Bakery in North Bend, Oregon and ran it for three years.

In 2015, the couple relocated to Seattle ‘because we were both so far removed from our families’, Russell wrote.

While living in Seattle, Russell started working for Horizon Air, where he would have been earning circa $13.75 an hour as a baggage handler, writing that he enjoyed being able to travel to Alaska in his spare time. Russel, who was pursuing his bachelor’s degree for social sciences from Washington State University, said he wanted to move up in his company to one day work in a management position.

[TexasGator]

“but only had marginally more log-hour experience with a twin turboprop. “

I wasn’t aware that he had logged any twin hours much less turboprop.

[TexasGator]

Source?

[DFG]

This lunatic said that he played video games. Could he have learned enough about a Q400 via a flight simulator? https://www.amazon.com/Dash-Q400-Pilot-Expansion-Flight-Simulator/dp/B00FMJL18O

[Lent]

Barrel roll. Do a search someone took a video of it.

[Vermont Lt]

There are videos all over the place.

Whoever was flying that plane did not learn that playing Flight Simulator.

[Lent]

That’s what I posted yesterday. FSX/P3D have a very good simulation of the Q400.

[Vermont Lt]

What the Flight Simulator doesn’t give you is the motion or adrenaline that comes from diving that plane towards the ocean and pulling out into a roll.

That’s some scary stuff.

[jntrees]

No. You’re not being lied to. He was on a suicide mission and pushed the aircraft as hard as he could.
I’m no pretty sure they don’t teach “ loop Dee loops” to commercial airline pilots.

[TexasGator]

Not a barrel roll but apparently kept his head and was very lucky.

[Vermont Lt]

A good comparison is a very good racing game on a good computer. Play that for days until you are really good.

Then take your car out and try to drive like that.

If you are lucky you might survive the crash.

[fireman15]

There is something bad wrong with this story. I am familiar with flight training— That takes YEARS! in the seat with instructors.

Not necessarily. I had a friend fly with me who told me that he had been practicing with our type of airplane on Microsoft Flight Simulator. I told him to take me for a ride and I wouldn't correct him or give him any hints unless he needed help. He took off and landed a couple times at our airport without any difficulty and then flew to a neighboring airport and landed there... all with no help from me. Our plane is simpler than a commuter plane, but the principles of flight are the same. They are the same with our hang gliders, our ultralight airplane, or our general aviation airplane as well as a much larger passenger plane.

My brother was one of the “check airmen” for a commuter airline about the same size as Horizon, before he went to work for Southwest. He gave flight training on a simulator. The airline had leased blocks of time and sometimes when he had no one coming in he would let me fly the commuter plane. It was not hard as long as you flew by the numbers. I certainly didn't try any wild maneuvers, but I have taken aerobatic training in the past and again, the basic principals are the same. I do have many years of flying behind me, but I don't know from what this clown did that it meant that he had years of advanced flight training.

[raiderboy]

My point is— it is way too complex without immense hands on training. Hundreds of hours of training. What happened here? How did this guy get to this unbelievable skill level? We are being lied to— I assure you.

[CaptainK]

According to a report he learned how to do loops on a video game. You decide if that makes sense.

[TexasGator]

He rolled inverted then pulled out of a half inside loop at very low altitude.

[raiderboy]

Give me a break. NO ONE CAN TAKE A TURBO JET OFF AND FLY LIKE THAT. Wake up!

[raiderboy]

Riiiightttt!! wink.

[Vermont Lt]

You sound like you have flying training.

I imagine sitting alone in a plane that you just stole—but have never flown—it might be a little unlikely you would be able to do many aerobatic moves like that.

I am no pilot, it boggles my mind someone without REAL Flight experience could whip around like that.

Anything with hand eye coordination just doesn’t happen that easily.

[xone]

do loop dee loops

lol, what maneuver is that? He did do a barrel roll, almost too slow.

[raiderboy]

Try that cold turkey.

[jntrees]

Just stop man. It doesn’t take years of training to crash a plane. Anybody can use a simulator to practice flying. You are not being lied to. Listen to the tapes man...Jeez. I’ve been trained in a flight simulator and I’m not a pilot. It’s not that different to comprehend.