Review of Skyking rating ****
I remember when this incident happened, thinking that there was a story to be told here. What would motivate a man with no flight experience to steal a commercial airplane? I followed the story in real time until the bitter end. I’ve heard a good portion of the audio between the controller and Richard “Beebo” Russell before this documentary. This film has the entire communication chain from his first contact until his last.
This incident happened in 2018. The newest version Microsoft Flight Simulator was not out at this time. So, his reference to him playing video games likely did not mean flight simulators. Had he had some time in MSFS, especially in the Dash 8‑400, I’m betting he could have landed it.
Unfortunately, listening to the audio, landing the plane did not seem to be part of his plans. It’s too bad. Had he landed the plane, he might have gotten a ten-year sentence. Out in five. He would have been considered by some to be a hero. So, what led a twenty-eight-year-old married man to make such a drastic decision?
I’ve been a pilot since I was fifteen years old. I had my pilot’s license before I had my driver’s license. I grew up during the Apollo Space program. I wanted to be an astronaut like most kids my age. At that time, every astronaut was a pilot. I can see where working on the ramp around airplanes all day and night could give him the idea that he could pull something like this off. I’m sure he spent time in the cockpit, whether he was repositioning a plane of just on break. The thought must have crossed his mind before this. But what was it that triggered him that day?
In the communications with the controller, he mentions that the minimum wage he received from Horizon was partly responsible. When I worked for a major airline, I would sometimes help load a few bags during my walkaround. I never talked down to the ramp guys and gals. I knew how hard they worked. In Beebo’s case, I think he was dissatisfied with where he was in life, and he blamed low wages and a lack of opportunity for advancement, as motivation to make a statement.
There are a few things about this story that were not resolved to my satisfaction. Beebo was married at the time. The filmmakers showed one family picture of him holding an infant. Was that his baby? His wife did not take part in the film. She could have added a lot more insight. The other thing I didn’t fully understand was what was causing him to throw up. His demeanor over the mike seemed calm. Was it airsickness? Or was it simply realizing the seriousness of his actions?
Before I end this review, I want to share a story about a TV weatherman from St. Louis. His name was Bob Richards. He was a popular media personality in the St. Louis metropolitan area. He was known for appearing as a frequent guest on a morning talk radio program where he often did weather raps. The hosts of a rival talk radio show made some disparaging comments about his appearance, comparing him to Eddie Monster. There were also rumors of an alleged extramarital affair. In 1994, Bob took off in a Piper Cherokee at the Chesterfield airport. He pulled the nose up and then dived towards the runway, killing himself. In one of Beebo’s communications he mentions that he didn’t want to live anymore. Suicide was obviously on his mind.
There was a point before he ran out of gas where he contemplated landing. He told the controller something to the effect that if he did land, he would probably spend the rest of his life in prison. You could hear him weigh that as an option. It was around that time that he made the comment about not wanting to live anymore. I wish he would have landed that plane. I would have been rooting for him.
I saw this on Hulu.