Mentour Pilot - 2025-08-09
Get an exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ https://nordvpn.com/pilot It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! ----------------------------------------------------- August 10th, 2018. A ground service agent stole a Bombardier Q400 from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and took off for a 75 minute long unauthorised flight…with no formal training. This incident shocked the aviation industry and the world. Exposing cracks in airport security and sparking a real look at mental health within the aviation industry. If you, or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to a mental health expert. Support is always out there. Support Resources: Global - Find your local support line: https://befrienders.org/ Global - 24/7 Help chat: https://crisistextline.org UK – Call Samaritans at 116 123 US – Call or text 988 0:00 - Intro 1:00 - Who Stole The Bombardier Q400? 10:17 - How Was The Plane Stolen? 20:48 - ATC Realizes Something Is Wrong 38:14 - Final Investigation ----------------------------------------------------- If you want to support the work I do on the channel, join my Patreon crew and get awesome perks and help me move the channel forward! 👉🏻 https://www.patreon.com/mentourpilot 737 Course: 👉🏻 Visit https://www.virtual737course.com to learn how to fly a 737 like Petter in our virtual 737 SIM course Make sure to use code "mentournow" for 20% off! ✈️ Our Connections: 👉🏻 Exclusive Mentour Merch: https://mentourpilot-shop.fourthwall.com/ 👉🏻 Premium Mentour Artwork: https://electrify.art/mentour-pilot 👉🏻 Our other channel: youtube.com/@MentourNow 👉🏻 Our Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@MentourPodcast 👉🏻 Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/mentourpilot 👉🏻 BOSE Aviation: https://boseaviation-emea.aero/headsets Social: 👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MentourPilot 👉🏻 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentour_pilot 👉🏻 Twitter: https://twitter.com/MenTourPilot 👉🏻 Discord server: https://discord.gg/JntGWdn Below you will find the links to videos and sources used in this episode. SOURCES ----------------------------------------------------- https://www.baaa-acro.com/sites/default/files/2021-12/N449QX-1.pdf https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/seattle/news/press-releases/fbi-completes-investigation-into-august-2018-unauthorized- flight-from-seattle-tacoma-airport https://vault.fbi.gov/richard-russell https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/beebo-russell-seattle-plane-theft-true-story-1187023/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caFIrBXtSxs https://www.youtube.com/@WhatYouHaventSeen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhqkP6eZRwg https://www.youtube.com/@ActionKid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUt-W8Fcpyw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LLmF9tZoEE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZC8de10mq0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DstWZY_eUOc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gutKuNSppIo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ujOq741RK8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HskJna8duI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkRbinlR00o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF3ftaTqHjE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEpxK9rGAL8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_DWeELgVog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_jw-fciuC8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaqaI8EqG5c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC_adpMf8KA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cEIp2bLGAY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi-bJ3cw_AI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzcF7LITYww https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXIr9LNclPQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_oA19aVpdM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHbCvTtTqx4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfRclcwh4bE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTUqWt9DcU4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWFTdhN219U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqdHfhV4Fbc #Mentourpilot #pilot #aircraft
some of his radio traffic is haunting. The combination of calm, humor, and depression is hard to listen to.
He wanted to see some beauty before the inevitable end. rip Sky King.
I recognize a lot of that humor he had in his voice as masking depression symptoms. Spooky stuff.
@rangerryda8218 Sadly in this case the whole "he made funny videos" thing was a red flag.
It's literally so common today.
Lol most intelligent funny people are sad
"Just a broken guy with a few screws loose" - makes a grown man get teary eyed. Fly high.
A few screws loose _ In Turkish we say "Kafasında bir kaç tahtası eksik" which can be translated as "A few wood missing in his/her head".
Aren't we all? 🥲
Russell didn't harm anyone, and went out on the best day of his life.
Must be heart breaking for his family to hear that
@3goats1coat didn’t harm anyone… I’m betting his wife and kids would say differently. It’s a sad tragedy, and almost sounds like your comment has some sort of misplaced reverence for him. Similar to “he died doing what he loved” - like that would somehow make this any better.
@travissmith2092 almost sounds like you're talking nonsense just to pick a fight 😐
This is a somber comment chain, under a sad video.. your attitude isn't welcome
I work with people who have attempted suicide. The hardest cases for me are always the people who are kindhearted, despite it all - like this guy clearly is. They try to avoid harm to others in the fallout at all costs - unable to recognize that the only thing everybody wants from them is for them to be safe and okay.
I had one guy block traffic for three hours trying to jump on a bridge, then later burst into tears when he learned that his attempt caused the police captain to miss his daughter’s birthday party. He asked to call the guy to personally apologize. It’s heartbreaking to know that somebody can have so much love for others but have a hard time loving themselves
I lost my brother to suicide 3 weeks ago. This describes him to a T. It breaks my heart but I know he fought it for many, many years for the sake of those he loved 💔
@SideQ-rr6mydeepest sympathy and love. 💖🙏🌹
Mental cases, like junkies, are so full of shit you cannot believe any emotion they exude.
Grow some balls son.
Beautiful statement.
He was joking when he said, "Dammit Andrew, people's lives are at stake!" It sounds like it came from some movie quote.
Agreed
Some research indicates that it might be from a movie called Zero Hour which is the movie Airplane was based on. I suspect it was a quote from Airplane (which I've never seen), because people reviewing Zero Hour said it was Airplane without the punch lines. The above sounds like some kind of punch line and something this fellow was probably well aware of.
I live in the Seattle area. I vaguely remembered this and didn't know any of the conversation with ATC. Really sad. I'm glad he chose to end it in an uninhabited area. I feel like the guy just got himself doing something just to know he could do it and then knew there was no way back.
Star trek.
I saw comments on another video it’s from the movie Chronicle. I haven’t seen it but I know the main character is named Andrew and according to other comments it’s a direct quote.
We call him "Sky King" here in Washington, and I've never once heard anyone say anything negative about him.
Rest easy… Sky King!
I was about to say that, I live near JBLM and remember when it happened, I was playing Xbox with a few buddies when we found out, can't remember if it was before or after the crash, though
one of the best pilots of all time
Not just in Washington, he is and always will be the Sky King. RIP. What a guy.
I also know him as the sky king and never seen anything negative
the fact that he managed a sucessful barrel roll on a commercial airplaine having 0 real flying experience before that... blows my mind
also the fact that no pilot has been able to replicate the maneuver in simulators without crashing is even more amazing. I wish Beebo could have landed, he would have made one hell of a pilot
@nicholasbrown668wait? Really? Like I thought it was partially beginner's luck along with some skill. But if real pilots can't pull it off in simulators, it's even more impressive...
@ToerinatorIt may have changed but at the time several pilots tried to recreate his flight, all of them failed to achieve it without the airframe either failing catastrophically or crashing. The plane wasn't designed at all to do what he did, it was like something was guiding his hand and keeping wind under his wings for his first and final flight
@nicholasbrown668Did any of those investigating it, reveal if his log on flightsim indicated that he had tried to barrel roll with a DH4 virtually?
@oheggeI've no clue, I wouldn't doubt if Bebo had practiced this before on flightsims, but the fact that other pilots at the time couldn't recreate his flight in full is just astounding. Sky King would have made one hell of a pilot
Man, when he said about doing the Barrel Roll, nose down and call it a day.. What an eerie thing to hear... I loved how caring this episode was written, you guys are very compassionate and great human beings.
Right? It kinda shows what he was thinking with the way he said "nose down and call it a day". Just giving up on life
Yeah 😢
Yes I completely agree. Peter (Mentour) is not just an accomplished pilot himself but a great human and also understands human psychology. He has the ability of reading the minds of unknown people by their actions. As regards Russel, the acrobatics he performed like the barrel roll, probably hints towards the perfection of the ON LINE SIMULATORS or the VIRTUAL GAMES he was sure of adequate enough to get him back on the ground.
@jayantkunte2252Stop hunching on petters leg already. Hes just a human being like the rest of us. Take away all his free patreon money so he actually has to return to working for a living and see how wonderful and great he is. 😮
@giggiddy Just here to hate watch?
“I hope this doesn’t ruin your day” is the biggest ever indicator that he had no self worth whatsoever. Not a single idea of how much a human life, especially his own, could be worth to a stranger. This one statement gave away so much of his point of view. He truly believed it was possible this wouldn’t impact anybody at all.
I was severly depressed for a long time and have thought up so many ways to step out of life in a way that wouldn´t hurt (PTSD or otherwise) anyone else. But i always ended up with the fact that someone one day will find my remains. And then they and my family will know and be hurt.
I have been through therapy and learned emotions (i banned them for so long and so deep i lost touch) and have been working hard to get love for myself. I will keep surviving for the people around me who care, i don't anymore.
A very good and sweet guy inside.
Good 👍
He said he hope he doesn’t ruin their day, but He was fine with killing anybody on the ground. When he crashed. This man was not a hero. He was sick.
@quackaddict9810 He was having a mental episode, but he literally picked a spot to crash on an unpopulated island/area with mainly only trees. Even the flight data showed that he purposefully chose to dive/die in that spot. Also most of his maneuvers were over water or mountains. Even with people that jump off buildings are less concern with people or cars underneath that this guy. People, flight data, authorities, and the military pilots all say he didn't want to hurt others and purposefully picked an unpopulated spot. And in his final moment he did something great, that will echo into the centuries.
The ATC here was the star of this sad incident. He managed to talk his way through to set a light tone and kept Russell calm.
He didn't make things worse, but being able to talk WITH Russel doesn't mean he
"managed to talk his way through" to him. I don't blame him for anything though. That was a job for a Psychologist, not technical staff and I think even 9.5 out of 10 Shrinks would have failed at turning that ship around.
I get the impression that things would’ve gone the way they did regardless of the ATC interaction.
@A_Haunted_Pancake You’re kidding, right? The ATC guy, and later the pilot helping him, did everything they could to keep Russell calm so that he had less chance of getting into his own head, (and after the initial adrenaline rush of taking off), possibly crashing into a densely populated area. Even if the fighter pilots shot him down, again, falling debris could have meant many on the ground injured. Of course a shrink wouldn’t help, if anything - I think that might have made it worse, he just needed a normal person in aviation to keep his mind active whilst they monitored what he was doing.
Russell MAY have come from a faith / religion, or family and community background that shunned mental health issues, and especially unaliving oneself. Obviously, I didn’t know the guy, I’m simply providing a couple of reasons people in that state often do things of this nature (not the plane, but the act), if they’ve made a decision. I’ve had many mental health organisation clients in my own career, therefore a lot of learning, and men who do this, typically choose very “harsh” immediate methods, compared to women, which are often more inward, than outward, if that makes sense. Another reason (in this case had he not interacted on the frequency), is that perhaps by doing this, out of the blue, no warning signs, no diagnosis of a disorder or medication, just a reliable employee and family man, it could be seen as a bizarre act (in everyone else’s mind) where some form of life insurance still paid out, (in this case, I doubt it did, considering he didn’t know how to land a plane, and confessed to being broken, which points to only one scenario without guidance, which he wasn’t interested in), but he still did choose his words wisely in saying he had a few screws loose, but never specifically said he was planning on crashing it, more like he had to at the latter stage, with no fuel left. Again, had the ATC guy not been able to get him talking, he may have chosen something much worse for innocent people, not because he was cruel, but because in that headspace, you aren’t thinking, it’s not a lack of empathy, it’s that you are so far gone, you don’t have the ability to think about anyone, or anything else, and by the ATC guy being calm, almost gentle, but very serious, it got him thinking and saying that he didn’t want to hurt anyone else, imagine the closure that helped his family with? He wasn’t a terrorist out to get anyone, he had simply made a decision, and he was doing it - the ATC guy absolutely helped try to make sure nothing worse happened.
Russell probably thought people would see it as him being a messed up guy, not necessarily s*dal, taking out a plane he dreamt of always flying, because people who ARE s*dal, statistically, don’t think - they just act. I don’t even think he really “planned” to do this that day. I think it was on his mind for a while, and he saw an opportunity. This was highly unusual and extreme, but based on the principle, this is often what men do - things that can look like an accident, or at the very least, provide some doubt. They don’t want to risk failing, or their loved ones being looked down upon (why didn’t you do something, you must have seen the signs? Etc., etc.), and to make sure life insurance is still paid out, or their loved ones, if religious, being shunned, including their own self, if they happened to survive. This wasn’t a cry for help, but it left enough room for doubt in terms of insurance, and what his motive was. If he never had that recording available, can you imagine the hatred his family and community he was involved with, would have faced after? It would have ruined them more than it already did, the ATC guy stopped that from happening by BEING CALM, AND GETTING HIM TALKING.
A lot of people who survive jumping off bridges say that the second they jumped, they immediately wished they hadn’t, and I think you can hear him pondering that regret towards the end, when it was too late. Others will try something, usually involving something crashing into them, fail, never say a word, then go back the next week, do it - and succeed. My point being - you are coming at this from a place of logic? There is NO LOGIC, no version of actual reality, when it gets that dark for people. I would bet money he also wanted first responders to be cleaning up wreckage of the plane, not him, because these events cause so much trauma for first responders. Just like, even over the ocean, or wilderness, he didn’t want those fighter jet pilots to have to live with what they might have to do, either. He didn’t want to hurt anyone but himself, but that MIGHT have been different, if IT WASN’T FOR THE ATC GUY.
I think he wanted to go out doing something, a dream, that he’d never be able to do in his lifetime, that would be a last hurrah of the beauty of nature he grew up with, at sunset, with an instant, painless demise, that was sort of questionable enough to not bring too much shame to his family. Towards the end part of the radio call, you can hear him getting frustrated, agitated, sad, going through all the emotions, just like the people after they jumped off those bridges, knowing it was the end. If it wasn’t for the ATC guy, he could have become like that much earlier, and caused much harm to innocent people on the ground. That ATC guy spoke to him like he was a normal person - not a criminal, not messed up, asking if he knew how to do certain things, getting a pilot to help, giving him options of available runways, (making him feel like a pilot), never mentioning repercussions, not raising his voice, not sounding angry, explaining the fighter jets were only there for safety (again, if he didn’t know that, he may have just quickly nosedived into something), just talking to him like an everyday, NORMAL person. For anyone with mental health struggles, that’s all they want, they don’t want to be treated differently, they don’t want a stigma attached, they don’t want a condescending attitude given to them, or to be treated less-than, just NORMAL.
That ATC worker possibly saved thousands of lives that day (if Russell was left to his own thoughts), and he STILL did whatever he could to try to save Russell, in such a unique situation he likely was never trained to know how to handle. ATC workers are already underpaid and overworked, and he deserves all the credit, all the flowers, for turning this from being a single person tragedy, to a thousands of people statistic. What he should be getting is nothing but love from Russell’s family, and from the Aviation community - nothing but credit, respect, and a promotion.
This is a lengthy post, because the ATC guy WAS the hero that day, and mental health, especially in aviation, needs more discussion. A plane can be replaced, a person can’t - RIP Russell. 🕊️
OP @abifaiq9645 - don’t listen to anything else, your comment is absolutely correct, and thank you for recognising his efforts. ❤
@CC_BabblecockI agree with you,but won't say anymore with the risk of YT A$$hls, who think they're "experts" attacking me.
Thank you for this comment brother. This is what I needed to hear. This is what our society needs to hear now more than ever. 🙏 ❤
I remember a comment about him that stuck with me;
"He did not go up there to die, he went up there to live"
ooooofffff... my heart :(
@mariaanmo i felt the same way. Literally had tears in my eyes the first time i read it.
No, i'm pretty confident he went there to die and to make sure he cornered himself and can't back out. Maybe he was waiting for his wife to apologize or call in, who knows. Usually the woman is the reason for cases like these
It feels so true, I've never been in a cockpit, but even seeing Mount Rainier from a distance on a regular SeaTac to California route is quite something, so to fly around it would definitely be living, at least it would for me.
Exactly what I thought when I heard about it. It seems to me like an escape from a treadmill in which the man was trapped.
Depression is nothing to be scoffed at. Thank you for your kindness Mentour team
Depression may not have been in any way involved. If it had been, it is very likely that it would have been spotted well in advance.
However, you are right about depression not being something to scoff at.
@noelpucarua2843 You'd be amazed at how people battling depression can mask it in their interactions with other people. His reference to "having a few screws loose" shows that he was aware that something was wrong mentally. It seems on the surface like a totally random, impulsive decision but he had spent a long time playing flight simulator games and quizzing pilots about procedures. I suspect he'd been thinking about this kind of thing on and off for quite a while.
That is a common misconception. Many men struggle with it but don’t show it, only to manifest it at the last moment. I myself have been misdiagnosed. I can’t diagnose anyone though, I just saw it.
@noelpucarua2843 wrong. its just that we arent encouraging men to talk about their emotions enough
@noelpucarua2843 People can lie on those screenings and often do to avoid repercussions - like unpaid suspension for treatment. Back then (and still today really), the airlines are notoriously harsh on those seeking mental health care.
Just look at the current medical standard depression test, “Beck’s Depression Inventory” (BDI)… it’s super easy to get through that unnoticed.
As someone said, it's so sad that he carried so much luggage for others and couldn't find the right person to help him with his own...
Bro.... this made a grown ass man cry
This was beautifully said... nice one... made me tear up!
The PNW is known for being the suicide capital of America. The weather is almost always rain cloudy and gloomy. I hated it there. It was getting to me and I had to come home to California. I was out with my friend in Seattle that day. We saw him fly over and knew something was wrong. Aircraft never flew in that area. We were a little south of the airport by the Puget Sound.
Someone else was not the missing piece, this state comes from inside and cannot be healed externally, or repaired, however you wish it to be phrased. If I leaned on others when in that state of mind, even outside of that state of mind, it is folly
@ShutterContinent I disagree with you; personal situations that become unbearable lead to actions that could be avoided with the right interventions. A person who sees no solution can and should be supported.
As a pilot who's had to make the tough call of grounding myself to get the treatment I need, I think the only real gesture that the FAA can make to prevent things like this from happening again is making depression treatment less of a threat to your career than it already is. SSRIs are a pain in the ass to change, and if my dosage isn't working, I can't change it unless I want to re-set the six month timer I have until I can pursue even my Part 61 flight training again, never mind all the things it takes to stay current in an airliner. I'm spending over ten grand on lawyers to prove to the FAA that my treatment is working and that they can trust me with a special issuance, and even then, I won't know the answer and if I'll need to spend more money on an appeal until a year from now.
People don't get help in this community because getting help is a financial and social death sentence, pilot or ground crew.
And this has to change. Urgently. To paraphrase a well known one-liner: It's not the ones seeking help you should look out for. It's the ones not seeking help.
My deepest respect for making that difficult call.
Signal boost this, please. Captain Steve mentioned this issue also (he is a counselor Dr. Steve in addition to being Captain Steve). If getting help ends their career, they simply aren't going to get help.
Thank you for sharing. This is something that faces a lot of highly skilled individual - soldiers, doctors, surgeons, pilots, etc. There is only punitive measure, and absolutely no allowance for the reality of rehabilitation. There must be a middle ground
Nearly 80% of people who take their own lives are men.. let that sink in. I bet everyone who reads that didnt know that.. and why arent people aware of this staggering statistic? Because we live in a society that doesnt care about men. If it was women taking their lives at that rate.. that statistic would be shoved down eveyrones throat non-stop in media and mental health campaigns, but its men... so it isnt.
I wanted to be a pilot almost my whole life. I found out through this channel that the FAA publishes a list of meds that get you grounded. I worked with my doctor and got off those meds, and I'm in therapy to make sure I can function without them. But after all that, about a few months ago, I decided it's probably just not worth pursuing. I spent years in books and sims. I even had my discovery flight. I was so determined to save money for lessons and my headset and E6B and all that, and then I kinda just realized that even if I pass student medical, there really isn't any guarantee of job security for me in aviation.
Rest in peace, Sky King
Stories of Sky King and D. B. Cooper are my favorites of all time
And both of them changed aviation forever, non of them harm anyone else
@llMarvelous DB Cooper took hostages and threatened to kill people...
rest well Sky King. i thank you for going over this incident with pure Empathy.
He PROFITED off of making this video. He's a shallow DOUCHE.
Lol he said sky king. He was nuts and could have killed people.
Sky king.
Lmaooo
@etto48 We are all nuts, just depends on the perspective.
@etto48 Clown
@etto48yeah no one asked you to comment bigot
From the ground up, our security is dependent on threats: "if you do this thing, we'll fire/imprison/impoverish/shoot you". A person who has concluded that they want something more than life itself that they'll never get through normal means is a person who is impervious to threats.
Richard Russel spent every day looking at those planes, wishing he could fly one, but knowing that his circumstances meant he'd never have that opportunity. Apparently that day he decided that his desire to fly was stronger than his desire to live, and once he was in the air he knew that the rest of his life held nothing that would compare to that one moment of freedom.
It’s a crazy story, the actual video footage of him and communications with ATC is both mesmerising and troubling to watch. So calm, so serene….and yet….
So tragic
The guy was just insanely lucky that he didn't crash into people. Sad, yes, but that doesn't mean these insane antics couldn't have very easily killed people.
The communications with ATC really resonate with a lot of us.
people who decided to end it tend to be really calm and happy in the last day.
You should go listen to the full 60 or 70 minutes of ATC recordings.
In the final minutes of his life, he found something to live for. RIP.
I don't mean to sound macabre, but I'm sort-of happy for him he successfully pulled off that barrel roll. He deserved to have that accomplishment.
@rrice1705 i do think there was a reason for his life and him finding some happiness at the end
He led the way for us to follow him into oblivion.
I was at QX at the time, as a check airman. The voice you hear trying to talk him into landing, is another check airman that is a friend. It was a very tough day at Horizon.
We probably met. I work at the learning center where QX trains. I always work the over night shift maintaining the simulators.
My deepest condolences and sympathy to him. I can't even begin to imagine what he was - and still is - thinking. 😢
I can imagine that. Obviously a horrible experience.
We probably flew together a few times. I was an FA with QX until about a year before this took place, and still had several friends there at the time.
Did someone looked into his wife what was she doing to him or behind his back? Men killing themselves is usually because of female abusing them
I don't cry often but man... right after that roll... out came the waterworks. Like... man, it's heavy. In his last moments before the end of it all, he took the chance to live one last time. After so long stuck on the ground he chose to fly. The Sky King would have been a great professional pilot. Keep flying, Russell
I couldn’t agree more.. even though what he did was so incredibly wrong, the waterworks set in at that same point in the video, and you worded it very well…
This hit me unexpectedly hard because I was in that dark place for a while in my life. I didn't have a plan, but I had ideas. The way his comms with the ATC sound... I can really relate.
Depression isn't a solid state of misery. Suicide isn't caused by sadness. It's a loss of hope that things can get better. This guy, it sounds like he had no hope that anything would improve in the future, so he decided to take a thrill ride, look at some natural beauty, and do some air stunts so he could end things on a high note. I can, unfortunately, empathize with that mindset.
Yeah....this is possibly the only youtube vid I've seen in years that's actually brought tears to my eyes. I've been there as well and had ideas which turned into plans, with limiting impact on others weighed in heavily. I had figured out ways of doing it which would give closure to my family but would only involve trained professional first responders having to see the aftermath.
The loss of hope was a major factor in me getting to that dark place as well.
i hope you’re in a better place today friend
@fernandoBOT Thank you for your concern. I am.
I've been there too man.
I sincerely wish all of you the best. Much love and empathy here
He didn't do it just to die, he did it to live.
RIP Sky King
You will be missed
Yeah it kinda reminds me of motorbike racers who says "you live more riding one lap on these than in 80 years walking, and if i'll die while doing it, then i died doing what i loved the most".
At least he went out on his own terms, after having the time of his life.
Yes, as someone who is also depressed, I think that’s right. Many of us are so sad, our lives having become everything we didn’t want them to be. We feel like failures, and very alone. He got to finally feel alive for a little bit doing this and then regretted it afterward.
o7
Im from the area where this happened and we still talk about Skyking fairly often as a local legend
o7 Sky King 😢
For a ground handler with mental issues, he flew pretty good in the end. Maybe in an alternate timeline he could have actually become a pilot. Thats the saddest part of this story.
Becoming a pilot in the US is out of reach for many unless you have money for private lessons and go from there. It's not like there's a pilot school he could have gone to. And honestly, if he was this good in the Sim and it translated well enough for him to pull off what he did, maybe other people should have a legitimate chance at a career path. Would solve a lot of the pilot shortage issues as well.
It would've been literally impossible. A ground handler would never be able to rub enough pennies together to earn a pilot's license. The freedom of the skies belongs to the rich.
@PlatypusVomitanything is possible when you put your mind to it -- going to be tough but if you want it you will achieve it.
This sadly hits the truth right smack dab on the head. Unless you get into the training program of a select few airlines, there's no one to help you finance it. Everyone else needs to have the money themselves or figure out a way to convince a bank to lend you the money.
"... A ground handler with mental issues ... Maybe in an alternate timeline he could have actually become a pilot." –kobkob33393
Given that only the mentally fit should ever become pilots, in this alternate timeline in which Richard Russell did not have mental issues, he could have become many things—maybe even a ground handler, loving husband, and youth ministry leader.
This breaks my heart. A handsome, troubled, lonely soul having his last hurrah before he checked out…
Hard to believe it's already been 7 years. Rest in peace, my friend. Fly high, Sky King.
I know to me it seems like this happened like 2 years ago but it's been 7 years already it's crazy how time flies.
please stop romanticizing a broken man committing an extremely dangerous crime
@iLLadelph267 LOL!! Sue him! xD
@iLLadelph267 No. I don't think I will.
@iLLadelph267because of the way you worded it, now I DO want to romanticizing him.
Rest in peace Sky King Beebo - I hope you are no longer suffering and in pain
and based on that barrel roll he could have been a good pilot!
@Col_Flaggchances are he knew that with his issues he'd be lucky to be allowed to train for a PPL and saw this as his only chance to achieve his dream of flying an airliner, messed up as that is
Rip Sky King!!
@Col_FlaggThat’s the cruelty. He wanted to be a pilot more than anything but was denied it. And he was actually good at it.
He and I both were contractors from different companies working with Alaska Air/Horizon Air. I remember we would occasionally see each other in passing on our shifts and smile, wave, or say hello. We never spoke to each other or anything, just being friendly Washingtonians with strangers.
When I heard about this happening, I no longer worked at the airport but, was shocked by the footage and audio of this!! It was heartbreaking listening to the audio and knowing he perished in the crash.
When they announced his name (which I never knew) and I saw his photo. I recognized him instantly and it made his story even more crushing knowing he was a friendly & nice guy that I knew in passing. My condolences to his friends and family. Godspeed, Beebo. 💔🙏
To his family/friends reading this, we love your friend. He sounds like a solid dude having a hard time. Sorry you lost him. Real shame and also real legendary
Thank you for covering this with so much compassion – it really matters. I hope it's a reminder to everyone watching that you're more than the worst decision you ever made.
The day the Patreon preview for this video came out, a kind of minor thing happened at work that triggered a whole cascade of negative emotions for me, and for the first time in a couple of years, I felt that "I'm worthless and irredeemable" feeling. And what I noticed as I was living in that feeling and watching this video was how that darkness comes along with a kind of detachment from reality that could potentially lead somewhere really dangerous. The "I hope I haven't ruined your day" and the way he kept mentioning video games really stood out to me – he obviously knew he was really doing this, but that impression of being a bit detached from it all was so chillingly familiar. But he was also just a guy who loved the mountains and wanted to connect with the people talking to him – the fact that he answered them on the radio at all when he already knew he wasn't going to try to land says so much.
As you said, people tend to feel "committed" once the thing is set in motion. Especially in a situation like this with very real consequences – for a guy who was obviously a big aviation enthusiast, I'd imagine that even forgetting prison, the fact that he would never be able to work airside again would've been a pretty big deal. All it takes is a few seconds and one really bad decision.
The way real audio and video was incorporated felt very right – it helps us remember he was a real person in a way a transcript just doesn't, and really shows the fluctuations in his mood etc. I'm sad for him, and for the controller and pilot who were talking to him too. I hope we can all learn to approach each other with a little more curiosity and kindness ❤️
Dissociation is a strategy our brains use to cope with otherwise unbearable thoughts. Mental health issues in my country (UK) are barely cared for in our health system, and people who suffer from them are commonly derided by the media here for "faking" or being weak.
I know this accident happened in the US but I know the situation is similar there. It's crushing that if he had help earlier he wouldn't have done what he did.
Yours is a very well spoken and insightful reply.
Thank you for writing about this the way you did. Just reading it proved to me that YOU are not worthless and irredeemable. You are a compassionate and insightful person.
@Hayley-s5t It's not just mental health, that is how most people treat and condition or injury that can't be seen. From depression to whiplash. To be fair, depression isn't something that can be fixed for everyone. Many can be, but for many more, life if just something to be borne..until it can't be anymore.
I really find it important to remind myself that we're more than the things we've done in the past. Dwelling on things can really just eat away at your sanity. It's essential to forgive yourself for your regrets, remind yourself that you did your best.
RIP Sky King. I worked around people who had worked with him when I delivered baggage for AK. When this happened, they cleared out our airport as a possible destination for divert landings. Still remember that night as all the PD screamed into the port. Sad how it ended, but for a moment his actions brought a light on men's mental health issues, and Russel himself became a legend.
Thank you for calling him sky king. It was hard earned.
@shawnpresser8374 The man didn't survive his flight, but for one glorious moment-- he lived.
If "the law" would have left him alone, perhaps he might have landed. If anything, he needed psychological help, not jail time. He most likely crashed it to avoid prosecution. R.I.P. Sky King..
@robertsandberg2246 "The Law" cannot just "leave you alone" when you're flying a stolen airplane around a major metropolitan area. You weren't born before 9/11 apparently.
@robertsandberg2246
Yeah, that’s a great plan after displayed so much mental stability.
A friend and colleague of mine drank himself to death, quite literally, over a period of several years. Suicides choreograph their deaths. My attempts to assist him, to divert him from that course, were planned in, I was part of the chorus, the elegy he would hear before he died. The wounds that caused his death were inflicted long before I met him, by people I never met. He just wanted to be sure someone knew he was gone and cared. Some things you simply cannot stop, even with the best of intentions and procedures.
RIP Frank.
RIP sky king.
A lot of us will never understand. Some of us....wholeheartedly do.
My heart breaks and flies for this man and his story.
Been following Petter for years now....thank you for covering this.
I think I understand. Some pain never heals. The thought of a lifetime of dealing with that pain can be extremely daunting. His death was a tragedy to be sure but for a brief moment, he flew and was free. RIP my brother.
I lived underneath the flight path of that plane, and I was at home at the time. I heard it go by and I remember thinking, "Wow, that plane was really loud, why was it so low?" And then I see this news story later in the day. Absolutely heartbreaking.
I live in a big city with large airport and lemme tell you, sometimes I stop and listen very carefully whenever plane is louder than it should.
If I didn't know how good the videos are I would never click on this thumbnail
Same for the Concorde crash story. This really is the one downside of MenTour Pilot I regret the most: the fact that it is so obvious he clickbaits the stupid masses, the fact that he puts revenue as his first priority.
@akseli9this channels great but dude is clearly pretty corporate and fake haha
Yeah I really wish they'd stop with this clickbait nonsense, the videos are extremely well made and their titles should reflect that.
@akseli9Yeah. Imagine spending years building up your channel and then trying to get as many people as possible to watch it.
Sorry the thumbnail wasn't to your liking. Hopefully they will contact you to get your approval on the next one.
If I remember correctly, this was the only time a true barrel roll of a commercial airliner (the 707 prototype did an aileron roll) was caught on camera. Godspeed Skyking.
Rest in peace, sky king
The Orca mentioned at 36:00 is named Tahlequah, tragically she lost another calf this year & was seen carrying the dead baby for weeks AGAIN with others in her family helping her carry. And it’s not a case of nature being nature, the struggles of the Southern Resident Orcas are entirely human made. Orcas are, contrary to popular opinion, at the local population level the pickiest eaters in the world, and would starve to death instead of changing their diets (this is why there has never been an attack on a human or pet in the wild). The Biggs Orca families in the PNW eat seals & are doing well, the Southern Residents eat salmon which are overfished & blocked by dams. many have died and only 74 left. Another reason for their decline is the capture of 80 of them in 1970, numerous young ones were taken away to be sold to marine parks & 5 died during capture. During the capture, no humans were harmed despite being in the water capturing them.
What a sad and touching story about the Orcas.The mother carrying her dead calf with the help of family members is extremely sad.Worrying that their numbers are so low in the wild.
@barryvincentredmond3973Absolutely. The 2nd dead calf hits home for me. I wasn’t here in Seattle area during her 1st “tour of grief” (she carried the dead baby for 17 days, totaling 1,000 miles. This Q400 event happened on day 12), but I was here for the 2nd death this year. I was one of few people who saw the baby when she was still alive (there are Facebook groups in Seattle that tell people when they are here based on visual sightings) but in malnourished condition, with family members taking turns holding her up, few days later she died.
For many animals, people often attribute human-traits to nonhuman behaviors (“anthropomorphism”), but for Orcas, we are underestimating it. They have entire parts of their brain in the section that contains empathy that humans don’t even have. They have great memories too, when watching them here in Puget Sound they still avoid Penn Cove (for pilots: that is the CVV VOR) where they were captured 55 years ago, they hold no grudge against humans though as you can see them swimming by dozens of kayakers & paddle boarders everyday when they are here without issues, there are even stories from the native tribes of them saving people from drowning.
While this is bad, on the face of it, animals must adapt to their environment or die. It's just an evolutionary process. Human made or not, we are part of the chain. It is only our ability to show compassion for other animals that even causes this situation to be recognised.
This is such good information. I will keep in mind advocating for them. They are precious and beautiful. They deserve to be protected…
@barryvincentredmond3973 Absolutely. The 2nd dead calf (this year) hits especially close to home. I wasn't in Seattle back in 2018 during her 1st "Tour of Grief" which lasted 17 days when she carried the dead baby 1,000 miles (this Q400 event happened on day 12). But in 2025 I was here in Seattle (SEA based FO) and was one of the few people who saw the new baby alive during the brief few days (there are FB groups in Puget Sound that tell us when they're here by visual sighting reports). We were initially excited but quickly turned to concern when we saw Tahlequah and others in the family taking turns helping her breathe. It was clear she was malnourished & died a few days later. No one knows exactly how long she carried this dead baby for, but it was weeks.
For most animals, people overly attribute human traits (anthropomorphism), but with Orcas we are underestimating it. They have entire sections of their brains in the part that controls empathy that humans don't even have. I've seen Orca moms who lost kids adopt others, there have been 57 cases of Orcas attempting to feed people by giving divers gifts. They have great memories too, watching them in Seattle, they still today avoid Penn Cove where they were captured 55 years ago (for pilots, that's the CVV VOR), they hold no grudge against humans though, every day they are here they swim by dozens of kayakers, paddleboarders, and if it's hot- occasionally swimmers & never show aggression. Natives even have stories of them rescuing drowning swimmers
Wow. This brought me to tears.
I can completely understand him and his actions.
I have suffered from depression most of my life. Sometimes people knew it, but mostly they didn't. For many people who suffer from depression its embarrassing so we do well in hiding it.
On a routine December day in 2009 I tried to take my life. I was on life support for awhile and not expected to live. When I did wake up a few weeks later I was angry that I was alive. I was ashamed and embarrassed. Noone, including myself, actually seen it coming. I still cant explain why to this day. I just had a bad day.
So i really feel for this guy, deeply. I hope his family isnt playing the guilt game that I put mine through.
Me too, and also have learned to live with my depression episodes. God bless you.🙏🏻
I’m glad you’re ok now.
I’ve had similar experiences.
If your IQ is 125 plus you’re pretty much guaranteed depression. I found CBT helps.
We who suffer from depression become amazing actors. I would swear that some days I have given Oscar-worthy performances. 😊
Glad you're still with us pal. Depression is a brute to deal with, I know. Keep on keeping on.
How’d u do it
"I've got a lot of people that care about me. It's gonna disappoint them that I did this. I would like to apologize to each and every one of them."
That made me cry. 😢 Poor guy. 😞
I cant even understand how his loved ones felt hearing that 😢
Someone missed a pilot in him.
My partner took her life in 2012, and I can’t describe how tough it is in a way that someone who hasn’t been through it can understand. I pray his family has found some peace and a path forward. I hope Mr. Russell found some peace as well.If you are struggling, please reach out to someone. Anyone! You are cared about.
Im sorry for your loss, and I wish it could have gone differently.
But what happens when there's nobody to reach out to? What happens when the people around someone cant help them or dont want to? Do they deserve to just end it cause thats what the world is saying to them clearly? Because at this point thats all I see this shit as
@cherriberri8373 I understand you. It really does feel like there’s no one left to reach out to, or that the ones around us just can’t understand or help. That pain can make it seem like the only option is to give up. I’m not going to pretend it’s easy or that there’s a magic fix. It’s brutal. But I’ve learned that even in those moments, there can be someone out there... maybe not in our immediate circle who will listen without judgment. Sometimes it’s a stranger, a helpline, or even a space like this. You matter, even if the world feels like it’s telling you otherwise. Another advise would be to keep yourself distracted. Discover hobbies, interests and find joy in them.. you are loved
@cherriberri8373Please don't
I’m sorry for your loss 😔 depression is hard to understand, we don’t know how people inside.and reach out , if you’re feeling low . People care
I'm so sorry for your loss ❤ It really is its own kind of grief.
That barrel roll in front of the sunset. That's a sickeningly beautiful last thing to do. Genuinely nearly threw up, so awful, but so beautiful. I'd never do something like that, but I mean, once you're off the ground in a stolen aircraft, what else are you going to do but see the sights, fly out over water, try some aerobatics, and then find the lowest impact area to crash in? The main thing I don't get is how someone with a good family he clearly cares about could decide to do something like that.
A lot of married men feel like they can't be vulnerable in front of their family, so they can feel alone and desperate even in a marriage with someone they care for. One of the issues is that a lot of women do respect your vulnerabilities if you open up about them, I sure have some stories about opening up only to have them hit me with it when they're upset and want to hurt me, so when given a burden they can't bear alone they may feel that they have no way out. They can't share their burden with someone else, so while you hope he reaches out to a brother, but in reality that isn't always an option. Especially with the amount of men with little to not close friends due to all male only spaces have been clinically removed from society over the past century or so.
Good question.
English football team, Norwich City FC, made a very powerful video about mental health. In the video were 2 guys: one quiet and reserved, the other always with a smile and cracking a joke. Knowing it's a video about mental health, you believe it's going to be the quiet and reserved guy who's going to take his life. Then they throw the curve ball, it's the happy joker who's no longer with us.
My point in highlighting that video is that you can never know who's struggling with mental health, or what sort of things are going on in their own mind. Even people who appear to have it all can be battling some truly dreadful demons.
I strongly believe that, as much as we know about the human mind just now, we still have a lot to learn. I like to think that in the future (maybe not a future I'll live to see) we'll be able to pinpoint what it is inside our brains that causes depression and we'll be able to do something to fix it.
@Teribus13AMEN, especially the last paragraph. Mental health issues need to be handled exactly the same way physical health is handled (insurance wise I mean) or we’re just going to keep losing people.
"The main thing I don't get is how someone with a good family he clearly cares about could decide to do something like that."
Struggles often are invisible to exterior people. People struggling with their life quickly learn how to hide how bad they feel to people around them. I've been in this situation before and to this day i don't know why i didn't proceed to "call it a day" and jump while I was on the edge. It took me about a decade to start to understand some of the things that were happening in my head, and it still really obscure even to me. Family and caring about other people is unrelated. I'll try to describe how i felt in those moment: I just felt immense pain and was trying my best to hide it from everyone because the few times i tried to talk about it people started to (unintentionally) diminish it. I just wanted to vanish from existence because it just felt easier than to deal with the pain and the struggles.
Man, every time I hear his radio calls, it really gets to me.
same, every time i get this knot in my throat
20:14 you forgot to mention the wheels were smoking, because he forgot/didn’t know how to release the parking brake
The plane was rolling when he jumped in 🤔
@cpyart You, sir, belong in an investigating committee!
This lines up with a friend I lost from depression. When he took his life it was a totally routine day, even wearing headphones listening to a typical podcast up until the moment it happened. It seems he disassociated to the point that it was just another thing to do for the day. I had no idea he struggled with it at the time, he was usually the guy who lifted people up and cracked jokes, I never guessed he was struggling until it happened. Depression is so scary because it can be really difficult to spot the signs if they don't reach out for help.
My best friend took his life and did the same. He called all of his childhood friends and made plans to hang out in the next week. We all found that out at his memorial.
@123blarsonMy cousin did the same thing. 😥
@KyriaNunNuitI learned through the process of grieving and later on in life at therapy that it's Very Common. Alot of Suicidal people don't throw out red flags because they don't want to be stopped. I realized those plans were his his goodbyes to the people he loved but in a way that didn't spark any suspicion.
As someone who's suffered from depression most of my life I can tell you that unfortunately the stigma with mental health issues, which are only further exacerbated for men, and the suppression of such topics on many public platforms leaves an impression of being unwelcome. That it's your problem nobody wants to hear about and you just need to deal with it on your own. I was fortunate enough to have a great support circle of family members and friends who made me feel safe talking to them about it, but I've also known people for who I was the only person they dared to discuss the topic with so not every has the luxury of feeling like they have someone who will listen to them. This in the end, speaking for myself but I imagine it's similar for others, made me feel like I have to conceal it, hide it, and because of how important to do that it felt, I got really good at it. Even my closest friends were completely surprised when I decided to speak out, having no idea - and they likely never would realize had I not told them, or until it was too late.
That's why videos like these are important and why platforms putting pressure not to discuss these topics, and now government preventing young people from doing so, is so incredibly harmful.
@araonthedrake4049 I can confirm I've only ever confided in 1 person I've ever met IRL about my struggles with depression. Our relationship subtly changed and after that we only ever drifted apart. I lost the 1 person I felt safe enough to open up about it because I opened up about it. I can't see myself ever opening up about it to anyone IRL again.
This story really showcases the human experience. Just a broken guy who's got a few screws loose. It just highlights how fragile we all are. That's why this story resonates with so many people who have a great deal of empathy for Russel, even though what he did wasn't right. RIP Sky King
I remember hearing about this years ago and then going to view any video i could find about it, and read anything else i could find. And when i heard he was nicknamed Sky King, it brought a tear to my eye. Heart breaking stuff, and yet you sense he went out the way he wanted to, with wings.
Really it shouldn't resonate with people. If you want to go out, maybe dont do millions of dollars of damage on the way out?
@silvercrownt you don't get it. Clearly. It's about life. The complexities of who we are as people. Broken and barely held together with one bad decision from it all being over. And u chime in with nonsense about money?? like that even matters.
@COOLOCKERsame! I was compelled to know all there was to know about it. There is something so beautifully horrific about it.
@silvercrownt Mate, my comment is about the human condition. If money concerns you more than a persons feelings, maybe you should stay away from people.
Thank you for treating this subject with such obvious compassion and care. It would be easy to either make light of Mr Russell or to condemn him, yet this drew lessons without lessening the tragedy, excusing him, or attacking him. It’s a model of how to discuss this issue and convey what needs to be conveyed. I hope his family is doing ok now.
I agree! My only concern is the thumbnail. It is not as bas as people make it out to be, and I know he has to play the algorithm to succeed, but I find it a little distasteful. I know some girl does this for him. But putting a cartoonish avatar of himself next to “it’s going to be crazy….” Seems at odds with the respect of the rest of the production
How can people like you be such suckers? He is retelling this story, despite the pain it will bring back to family members, just to MAKE MONEY.
@PureHokkaidothere are many ways to do that. I don’t mind that he’s making money at all, but he’s doing it in a sensitive way such that, if it were my family member, I would consider this good. He’s not mocking or demeaning him. So, no, I’m not a sucker, but someone admiring someone who threaded a very difficult needle. That you think he shouldn’t make money for making his videos is entirely beside the point. But please, go off and enjoy being sour about him making a living doing something he does well and feel all pure and holy in your la-la land where only people who don’t make money are good enough for you.
@KarlEchtermeyerUmm no you are a sucker. That or you dont work very hard for your money to send it to a stranger who makes miney off your views. Are you that desperate to be part of something. Your kinda patgetic. Do you wear his t shirt that nobody understands? Lolo😂😂
I am among the many who teared up. His final words were so poignant.
He came from my home town and we were all devastated to hear the news💔 I didn’t know him personally, but everyone who knew him just loved him 🙏
Sometimes the biggest entertainers are the most depressed or lonely. People love them but they do not get the excitement from life they give others so they do crazy thing like Beebo did. I listened the tape of his converstation with ATC and sometimes felt this is the best day of his life even knowing the fact that he exaclty knew this is jail time for life. Death or jail time was the price to have a good day in his perspetive. Maybe his brain totally lost the part controls responsibility. He showed he had no chance to further enjoy life. One last dance to have some fun. As he expresses it: " I think I’m going to land it, like in a, a safe, safe kind of manner. I think I’m going to try do a barrel roll, and then if that goes good, I’ll just go nose down and call it a night. "
He sounds like the kind of guy that was there for everyone he knew.. but no one was truly there for him fly high SKY KING ✈️👑
Rip Sky king!! ❤
@MentourPilot - 2025-08-09
Get an exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ https://nordvpn.com/pilot It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee!
@dustycarrier4413 - 2025-08-09
Instead of pinning an advertisement, maybe pin something about mental health.
@wesss9353 - 2025-08-09
Could you get an advert that isn't a scam?
@ThatWouldBeCareless - 2025-08-09
@dustycarrier4413 I'm guessing it's part of the contract with the sponsor that they'll be linked in a pinned comment. . . But yeah, not a great look on this one.
@bearb1asting - 2025-08-09
23:17 you forgot SANTA
@misguidedviking - 2025-08-09
It's equal parts funny and disconcerting that every car out there has mechanisms in place to prevent unlawful entry but you can just start up planes' engines without a key card.