After Russell performed an unauthorized takeoff, two McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle fighters were scrambled to intercept the aircraft.

About 1 hour and 15 minutes after takeoff, Russell successfully executed a barrel roll before he crashed the aircraft on lightly populated Ketron Island in Puget Sound, killing only himself.

[2][3] It landed at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport at 13:35 local time the afternoon of the incident, after an in-service flight from Victoria, British Columbia.

Both were armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles[12] and reached supersonic speeds, which generated sonic booms on the way to the Puget Sound area.

[15] Near the end of the flight, the aircraft was seen performing a barrel roll over Puget Sound, recovering approximately ten feet (3 m) above the water.

[25] The Q400 ultimately crashed at 20:43 local time[1] on Ketron Island in Puget Sound, Pierce County, Washington, killing the occupant and destroying the aircraft.

[27][28] No injuries were reported to residents of the sparsely populated island even though the crash site was close to at least one cabin, which was occupied at the time of the incident.

[21] Alaska Air Group CEO Brad Tilden announced on the same day that the airline was coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration, the FBI, and the National Transportation Safety Board, and was "working to find out everything we possibly can about what happened".

[36][37] The FBI stated, "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.

He left for Southwestern Oregon Community College, where he met his wife at a Campus Crusade for Christ meeting.

[43] They sold the bakery in 2015 so his wife could be closer to her family; they settled in Sumner, Washington, and Russell found employment with Horizon Air.

[41] He was an avid traveler and attended Washington State University Global Campus, majoring in social science.

"[44] During his conversation with air traffic control, Russell said he "[knew] what [he was] doing a little bit" because he had experience playing video games.

Monteith stated the men told him they were training to use the aircraft's auxiliary power unit so they could tow it, but said it was "suspicious" that they left when he confronted them.

[46] In the days after the crash, cleanup and recovery crews contracted by Alaska Airlines and its insurers were present on the island to remove debris.

"[22] Videos and radio transmissions of the event were followed online, immediately sparking a meme, with people dubbing Russell "Sky King".