By Dan Calabrese ——Bio and Archives--August 13, 2018
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To a point, that is. He still crashed. He still died.
But apparently the mere fact that he managed to start the engine has Horizon Air executives scratching their heads. That is not an easy thing to do, nor are some of the in-flight maneuvers he pulled off to the astonishment of those on the ground. And according to 29-year-old Richard Russell, who perpetrated this final blaze of glory, he learned all this from a computer simulation that is for all intents and purposes a video game.According to an unofficial audio recording of Mr. Russell’s radio communication with controllers on Friday, a controller talking on the open channel said that “he is just flying around” and that Mr. Russell could use some help controlling the aircraft. Mr. Russell quickly responded, “I don’t need that much help. I’ve played some videogames before.” At another point, he said, “I know how to put the landing gear down.” He then added, “I really wasn’t planning on landing it.” Mr. Russell’s seeming familiarity with at least some of the controls—he specifically mentioned the system that regulates cabin pressure—suggests a strong understanding of cockpit layout and aircraft operations. But his level of flying skills, including engaging the plane’s autopilot and performing maneuvers that would be daunting even for an experienced Q400 pilot, nevertheless surprised some experts. Safety consultant John Cox, a former airline pilot, accident investigator and senior safety official for North America’s largest airline pilots union, said it was “hard to believe he flew as well as he did based on a videogame.” Horizon said Mr. Russell was hired in February 2015 as a ground-service agent and went through criminal background checks every few years. He wasn’t known to have a criminal record. Mr. Russell was allowed to access secure areas of the Seattle airport as part of his job. He was also qualified to help tow aircraft. Alaska Air Group Chief Executive Brad Tilden said it seems Mr. Russell worked his shift as usual on Friday. Horizon is an Alaska affiliate.
But Mr. Russell lacked a pilot’s license, Horizon Chief Executive Gary Beck said on Saturday. It isn’t clear where he learned how to start the plane’s engine, a procedure that involves a complex series of switches and levers, he said.“Commercial aircraft are complex machines,” Mr. Beck said. “I don’t know how he achieved the experience that he did.” Nothing is more important here than the fact that the man’s life has been lost, and apparently that was what he wanted. That is unspeakably sad and shouldn’t be lost amidst the bizarre details of this story. But they are bizarre, and they deserve exploration. Either Horizon Air flight training materials are more easily accessible to clever employees than its executives realize, or publicly available flight simulator/video games really can teach you to fly – at least well enough that you’re willing to risk it if you’re reckless enough. That seems to fit with Russell’s final assessment of himself, which he conveyed to controllers on the ground as he flew: “I would like to apologize to each and every one of them,” he said. ”I am just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess, never really knew it till now.” What a tragedy.
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Dan Calabrese’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain
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