Horizon Air worker who crashed plane bent on suicide, not terror

Bloomberg

The Horizon Air worker who stole an airplane from Seattle’s airport and took it for a ride crashed intentionally to commit suicide, the FBI said in a report that concluded he had no apparent ties to terrorism.
Ground service agent Richard Russell, 28, acted alone and no charges are planned in the August incident, the agency said. Investigators found no explanation for why Russell, who wasn’t a licensed pilot, wanted to steal the empty plane and kill himself.
“Interviews with work colleagues, friends, and family — and review of text messages exchanged with Russell during the incident — did not identify any information that would suggest the theft of the aircraft was related to wider criminal activity or terrorist ideology,” the FBI said.
“Although investigators received information regarding Russell’s background, possible stressors, and personal life, no element provided a clear motivation for Russell’s actions.”
Similarly, an investigation by the Transportation Safety Administration uncovered no
violations of safety regulations by Horizon or Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the agency. Horizon is owned by Alaska Air Group Inc.
The TSA found the airline and airport “to be in compliance with all security requirements,” it said. The aviation security agency said it’s looking at ways to “strengthen security in all aspects of the airport environment.”
“This incident was a very difficult moment for us and many others,” Horizon Air president and CEO Gary Beck said.
“We remain grateful to everyone who offered support to our employees, the family of the deceased employee, and the communities that were
impacted.” The US NTSB analysed data from the flight and reviewed a cockpit recording from the plane’s two crash-proof black boxes, the FBI said.
While there was no evidence Russell had received formal flight training, he’d searched the internet for flight instruction videos, the FBI said.