Transcript
The man who stole and crashed a turbo prop airplane from SeaTac airport on Friday has been identified as 29-year-old Richard Russell.
Russell was a ground service worker for Alaska Airlines’ Horizon Air.
Officials don’t believe Russell had a pilot’s license and they don’t know how he knew how to fly a plane.
Russell flew around for about an hour, performing aerial stunts before crashing into a field a few miles from the airport.
He was killed on impact.
Before crashing, Russell could be heard talking to air traffic controllers.
He apologized and admitted his actions would disappoint a lot of people who cared about him.
He said he was a “broken guy with a few screws loose.”
Relatives of Russell say they are stunned and heartbroken.
FBI officials confirmed this was not a terrorist act but it raises questions about airport security and whether security measures need to be changed across the nation.
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