[P.O.E.]

Seems to me he had his “Myth of Sisyphus” (Camus) moment.

[Clutch Martin]

Presumed dead?

[Artemis Webb]

He seemed like a nice guy while he was in the air too. He sure went out with a bang.

[Jane Long]

Richard Russell, 29, who is presumed dead, was a ground-service agent for Horizon.

🤔

[BipolarBob]

BeeBo Baggins?

[Oldeconomybuyer]

>> who is presumed dead <<

[tom paine 2]

Warm, compassionate, with a few loose screws.

[Deplorable American1776]

Mr. Russell might have been a nice guy.

Presume dead? He crashed an airplane into a fireball. I'm sure he is 99.9999% dead...

[relictele]

If your family member is involved in any event large or small, remember: it’s none of the media’s damn business. Don’t feed the beast with a press release.

[Catmom]

I feel sorry for his family.

Also for everyone whose lives he disrupted and property he destroyed.

The guy was a selfish, boneheaded jerk.

[mabarker1]

He was from Wasilla. The next thing is that the “press” will blame Sarah Palin for His problems.

[Daniel Ramsey]

He went out in style, i could only wish to do something as outrageous. I do not think he was suicidal, he had limited fuel and the skill to land it. I have listened to the ATC transcript several times, yes he was slightly off base but if he had a better fortune from the gods he had a gift, he knew he could do it, he planned it, and he did it.

He didn’t waste his time protesting in Portland. Nor posting on Facebook ot Twiter with complaints. Even i had dreams of stealing an aircraft in the past.
And in summary i believe he felt upset about too many minority workers surrounding him at work.

This has shocked 5he industry, this was a good nice smart person in their employment, what about the thousands of immigrants, many muslim?

Richard Russel, my hat if i wore one is off to you buddy! Now go fly that plane where mortals cannot.

[Retvet]

This guy didn’t sound excessively depressed to desperation. I wonder if our changing societal values are contributing to all the suicides and violent acts? Also TV with all their violent shows and their raising mass murderers to celebrity or higher status.

[Revel]

Someone has to come up with 32 million to replace the plane. Oh and what is the sales tax on that ?

[wardaddy]

Where’d he learn to fly like that

[CodeToad]

Millennial. Undisciplined, selfish, acts out, plays victim, harms others with his temper tantrums, etc.

The guy had nothing wrong in his life that his own decision making couldn’t correct.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

First thing they should do is an autopsy and look for a brain tumor or other abnormality.
 

[mass55th]

Friendly guys without a pilot’s license don’t steal an airplane, and take it on a joyride while putting other peoples’ lives in jeopardy.

[SamAdams76]

Some Freepers from the Boston area might remember a somewhat similar incident in May of 1989.

A postal worker named Alfred J Hunter had just shot his wife in a North Shore suburb and commandeered at gunpoint (AK-47) a Cessna at an airport in Beverly, MA.

Hunter spent the next few hours flying the plane up and down the coast and then started shooting the AK-47 out the window. Shells were landing all over Boston. Hunter repeatedly buzzed his workplace (a postal facility in Boston), simulating dive-bombing attacks, only to pull up at the last minute. He even flew under the Tobin Bridge with only 200 feet clearance. (The same Tobin Bridge that wife-killer Charles Stuart would jump off of only a few months later).

It was a crazy night. Air traffic to Logan was shut down. Police cars were going nuts all over the city as the plane continued to do nose-dives. It was even feared that he would crash into the Prudential building (he had fired a few shots into the 50-story observation area).

Hunter eventually landed the plane at Logan and was immediately surrounded. He ended up standing trial and is still in prison today (if he is still alive). There is a file picture of him taken below the morning of his capture.

This was pre-internet and pre-cell phone so there were not many photos of the incident (which happened in the late night hours).

[Bratch]