Last edit by: jspira
The incident itself is covered here: Sea-Tac Horizon Air employee steals airplane, does stunts before crashing near Tacoma The errant pilot, Mr. Russell, apparently recognized he was in the midst of a crisis (From Theft of Aircraft in Seattle-Tacoma Raises Serious Security Questions): “I got a lot of people that care about me and it’s going to disappoint them to hear that I did this,” Mr. Russell said to air traffic controllers. “I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. Never really knew it until now.”
from post #10:
KSEA tower audio of the aircraft on RWY 16C: http://archive-server.liveatc.net/ks...2018-0230Z.mp3 (begins around 3:40)
from post #10:
KSEA tower audio of the aircraft on RWY 16C: http://archive-server.liveatc.net/ks...2018-0230Z.mp3 (begins around 3:40)
QX Q400 stolen by employee, crashed near SEA, no passengers onboard
#61
Join Date: Jul 2003
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Not too far removed from the "Barefoot Bandit" of Camano Island, although that guy only knew how to takeoff, not how to land, so he crash-landed his way to the Bahamas.
#62
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I'd hope in a civilized society the adage of "ask questions first" still applies. I'm perfectly happy that the experts in such incidents have the skills and procedures to make fatal decisions only when necessary. Firing cannon shells or air-to-air missiles over a dense metropolitan area isn't exactly low-risk. Sorry, all too often I see these sorts "what if" and "we must do everything to prevent this from happening again" comments lack any comprehension of actual risk analysis.
This guy was clearly suicidal, listen to the tapes, He was not following instructions, specifically not to attempt a barrel roll for instance. Sometimes you have to look at the possible outcomes....when none of them are good. The chances this guys would even try to land the aircraft and his ability to do so were in serious question. You want to try and guide him back to Sea-Tac with that poor of skills and so close to downtown seattle? What if he just goes off at the last minute? If he was over open water, I would have been fine if they shot him down.....in fact would have preferred it
#64
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Seattle, Wash. USA
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When Air Force One was parked at BFI a few years ago, there was an exclusion zone for private aircraft in the general vicinity. Some guy who didn't get the memo flew in from Chelan in his floatplane and they scrambled the F-15s from PDX to intercept him. They flew supersonic and I think it took them about 12 minutes to get to Seattle, leaving a string of shattered windows in their wake. I think it was the first time I'd heard sonic booms since I was growing up in the Southwest in the '50s/'60s.
#65
Join Date: Jan 2001
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When Air Force One was parked at BFI a few years ago, there was an exclusion zone for private aircraft in the general vicinity. Some guy who didn't get the memo flew in from Chelan in his floatplane and they scrambled the F-15s from PDX to intercept him. They flew supersonic and I think it took them about 12 minutes to get to Seattle, leaving a string of shattered windows in their wake. I think it was the first time I'd heard sonic booms since I was growing up in the Southwest in the '50s/'60s.
#67
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Don't know if they were F-15s, but there were four of them and would take turns flying (two side by side) an approach to Love Field (DAL) about half hour before Air Force One would take off
#68
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ETA: Latest story from local reporting https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/...216512205.html
Last edited by cblaisd; Aug 11, 2018 at 11:08 am
#69
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Here is the chart with the crash area in red. There's a TFR in effect excluding air traffic up to 2,000ft for the next day:
#70
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Will insurance replace the totaled plane?
will AS get an invoice for the fuel cost for the strike eagles?
will AS get an invoice for the fuel cost for the strike eagles?
#71
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I hope Alaska Airlines looks into employee welfare policies and specifically how paying $11.50 an hour minimum wage may affect a person's mental health in the long run. The guy stated he was on minimum wage.
Were their not any warning signs of his mental state?
Did his supervisor not notice he may be having mental health issues?
Were their not any warning signs of his mental state?
Did his supervisor not notice he may be having mental health issues?
#72
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#73
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What happened is sad, this was clearly a troubled individual, but it could have been worse, and there's no efficient way to monitor the mental health of employees.
SEA is a disorganized mess as it is, and this will not make it any better.
SEA is a disorganized mess as it is, and this will not make it any better.
#74
Join Date: Jul 2015
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Sorry to be pedantic, but...
These were F-15Cs. Strike Eagle is the name for the F-15E, the ground attack variant.
SeaTac minimum wage for large companies is now in line with Seattle's--$15, or a few higher without benefits. Not an enormous difference, but appreciable, especially given current costs of living in the metro area.
These were F-15Cs. Strike Eagle is the name for the F-15E, the ground attack variant.
SeaTac minimum wage for large companies is now in line with Seattle's--$15, or a few higher without benefits. Not an enormous difference, but appreciable, especially given current costs of living in the metro area.
#75
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