187 UNLOCKED - Sky King: The Story of Richard Russell (feat. Caleb from Kill The Computer)
Hi Patreon subscribers! We're taking a week off from recording; regular episodes of the show will resume next week. In the interim, Josh remastered and re-edited our Sky King episode and we're releasing it to the public feed. If you've already listened, we'll see you next week. If you haven't, we hope you enjoy. Either way, thanks as always for your support.
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Caleb @BirdRespecter (Kill The Computer, 60 Minute Drill) joins Brian and Josh to tell the story of Richard “Beebo” Russell, a man who walked off his job as a baggage handler at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport one day in 2018 to steal an airplane. Russell and his ill-fated flight quickly became a cause célèbre among some of the darkest corners of the internet, continuing to this day. This episode tries to figure out how and why that happened.
Note: This episode deals with suicide and racist extremism.
Caleb: Bluesky // Twitter // Linktree
Kill The Computer: June and Caleb talk about the ways in which internet culture spills out into the real world; good and bad. Patreon // Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Bluesky // YouTube
Media referenced this episode:
“The Sky Thief: Beebo Russell’s Last Flight” by Tim Dickinson. Rolling Stone, June 24, 2021.
“I Worked With Richard Russell at Horizon Air, and I Understand Why He Did What He Did” by Todd Bunker. The Stranger, August 17, 2018.
“‘Airplane of opportunity’? Richard Russell raised pilot’s suspicions a year before Sea-Tac plane heist” by Lewis Kamb. The Seattle Times, September 12, 2018.
“Sea-Tac air traffic controller faced ‘one in a million’ scenario with stolen plane” by Daniel Beekman and Michelle Baruchman. The Seattle Times, August 11, 2018.
“FBI: Richard Russell, who stole plane from Sea-Tac, acted alone, crashed on purpose; motive a mystery” by Lewis Kamb. The Seattle Times, November 9, 2018.
“Human remains, flight data recorder found among wreckage of stolen plane on Ketron Island” by Stacia Glenn. The News Tribune, August 13, 2018.
“Airline job was way for man who crashed stolen plane to visit Alaska” by Adam Lynn, Alexis Krell, Sue Kidd, Lauren Smith and Craig Sailor. The News Tribune, August 12, 2018.
“White nationalists and the ‘Sky King’” by Martin McKenzie-Murray. The Saturday Paper, August 18, 2018.
Music used in this episode:
Anticipation by Drill Folly
Lookin’ For That Orca (Beebo’s Song) by Johny Maudlin
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Interstitial: The first seven pages of “The Hidden Enemy,” written and performed by Josh Boerman with music by Sean Callery from 24
Comments (11)
I’m pretty new to this podcast. This episode really struck a chord with me, thank you for telling this story with such compassion.
I have to say, to me, this is the best piece of Podcast journalism I've ever heard. Excellent work by all involved, bringing such a tragic incident to life in a sensitive and respectful way. Great work, folks
Man this one really affected me. Really compassionate storytelling guys it’s so human
no fuckin way bro.. i remember listening to this back on WK/KTC back when it first released but that feels like it was YEARS ago lol i was in a relationship with a violent guy back then; on that day i’d locked myself in the bathroom with my headphones and started playing the first thing i saw to block out the sound of him yelling. i was actually able to find some peace in that moment because the episode was so damn interesting+engaging that i managed to temporarily forget what was on the other side of the bathroom door. sorry if that’s a morbid story lmao but i think it illustrates how great this episode was. i’m happy to see it on my feed again! i’ll lyk if it holds up or if it’s only good when you’re actively dealing with DV
I have a crackpot theory that because sites like Something Awful and 4chan were essentially the pioneers of internet communities, they and the culture they developed shaped all following internet communities, which is what led to the awful state of the internet now. The always online nature of posting leads to this insular echo chamber, where jokes are indistinguishable from what you actually believe, and the worst ideas keep get repeated until they are considered the truth and are accepted by most people in that community. You allow the worst people to create a community, and then everyone who joins it later shaped themselves around that community to fit in.
>Claims to be a 4chan expert >Doesn't know what Baneposting is Curious /j
Thank you for unlocking this one. I don't have the money for paid subs right now (but I hope to return to your ranks soon!) and hearing about this in so many Year In Review calls made me wicked curious. I understand now why so many folks mentioned it. Love you lads.
Love this episode. Really great story telling and a compassionate look at a broken guy who met a tragic end without romanticizing suicide. It’s a tough balancing act and you did it well. One nit to pick. There totally is an easy public transit route to the airport from Sumner. I’ve driven at least one half of it for years :) It totally doesn’t detract from the episode. It’s just funny to hear about the place you live and work and claim specifically that you don’t do your specific job while you’re on break.
It's incredible how impactful this episode specifically was for people.
Was going to re listen to this anyway now I need to do some kind of cut comparison to see what Josh changed
it was mostly just tightening up the edit overall and fixing some timing things where the dialogue overlapped weirdly. also there’s music in the interstitial now. no real substantive cuts to the discussion itself