Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Airlines and Mileage Programs > Alaska Airlines | Mileage Plan
Reload this Page >

QX Q400 stolen by employee, crashed near SEA, no passengers onboard

Community
Wiki Posts
Search
Old Aug 11, 2018, 9:38 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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)
Print Wikipost

QX Q400 stolen by employee, crashed near SEA, no passengers onboard

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Aug 11, 2018, 10:04 am
  #61  
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 1,357
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.
AndyPatterson is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2018, 10:17 am
  #62  
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: PHX
Programs: HHonors Lifetime Diamond, UA Million Miler Gold, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,142
Originally Posted by robsaw
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.
Do you have military experience in this exact situation? I am not aware of any examples you could cite on US in History, other than possible the 9/11 plane in PA which if it happened worked out well.
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
HawkeyeFlyer is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2018, 10:29 am
  #63  
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,837
Originally Posted by prestonh
I read several places it was around 4 min. And yes many reports of sonic booms.
Source? Is that even possible? How long to get to max speed from takeoff?
flytoeat is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2018, 10:31 am
  #64  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Seattle, Wash. USA
Posts: 1,531
Originally Posted by ucdtim17


Any idea how fast they got there? Obviously not a drill and time is of the essence in a case like this. Any report of sonic booms yesterday?
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.
chucko is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2018, 10:37 am
  #65  
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,837
Originally Posted by chucko
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.
https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/...s_go_supe.html
flytoeat is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2018, 10:43 am
  #66  
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
Originally Posted by flytoeat
Source? Is that even possible? How long to get to max speed from takeoff?
Those F-15s have afterburners. Pour a bunch of fuel in your exhaust and it's not hard to get up to Mach 1+ fast.
jinglish is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2018, 10:43 am
  #67  
Moderator: Budget Travel forum & Credit Card Programs, FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: YYJ/YVR and back on Van Isle ....... for now
Programs: UA lifetime MM / *A Gold
Posts: 14,428
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
EmailKid is online now  
Old Aug 11, 2018, 11:03 am
  #68  
Moderator Hilton Honors, Travel News, West, The Suggestion Box, Smoking Lounge & DiningBuzz
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Programs: Honors Diamond, Hertz Presidents Circle, National Exec Elite
Posts: 36,026
Originally Posted by prestonh
If the transponder wasn't switched on and there was no flight plan filed then the online flight tracker's have nothing to show.
It wouldn't surprise if the transponder was in fact on. Whatever combination the guy had done of an advanced flight sim and/or study of the POH checklists might very well have included switching the transponder on. And -- just guessing here -- the ability of the fighters to be vectored to his position would have been greatly enhanced if there was more than just a primary skin paint radar return.

ETA: Latest story from local reporting https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/...216512205.html

Last edited by cblaisd; Aug 11, 2018 at 11:08 am
cblaisd is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2018, 11:25 am
  #69  
TA
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: if it's Thursday, this must be Belgium
Programs: UA 1K MM
Posts: 6,484
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:
TA is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2018, 11:59 am
  #70  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,005
Will insurance replace the totaled plane?

will AS get an invoice for the fuel cost for the strike eagles?
enviroian is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2018, 12:01 pm
  #71  
 
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Philippines
Programs: CebGo 5J, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum, Alaska 100K
Posts: 4,696
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?
SouthernCross likes this.
davistev is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2018, 12:04 pm
  #72  
Moderator: Budget Travel forum & Credit Card Programs, FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: YYJ/YVR and back on Van Isle ....... for now
Programs: UA lifetime MM / *A Gold
Posts: 14,428
Originally Posted by enviroian
Will insurance replace the totaled plane?

will AS get an invoice for the fuel cost for the strike eagles?
The fuel burned is less than a rounding error in Defense Department budget.

Wondered about insurance myself though. That loss is a tad more than a rounding error
EmailKid is online now  
Old Aug 11, 2018, 12:15 pm
  #73  
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: DEN, or so it says...
Programs: UA1K/RCC, Avis CHM, NWA Plat, SPG Plat
Posts: 2,885
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.
dimramon is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2018, 12:34 pm
  #74  
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
Sorry to be pedantic, but...
Originally Posted by enviroian
will AS get an invoice for the fuel cost for the strike eagles?
These were F-15Cs. Strike Eagle is the name for the F-15E, the ground attack variant.
Originally Posted by davistev
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.
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.
enviroian likes this.
jinglish is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2018, 1:01 pm
  #75  
 
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Philippines
Programs: CebGo 5J, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum, Alaska 100K
Posts: 4,696
Originally Posted by jinglish
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.
Noted. However, In his mind it was an issue.
davistev is offline  


Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.