Richard Russell was a Horizon Air ground service agent from Sumner, Washington.[36] He had been part of a tow team, which repositions aircraft on the airport apron, for about four years.[29] An operational supervisor for Horizon Air described Russell as "a quiet guy" who was "well liked by the other workers".[3] During his communication with air traffic control Russell made a complaint about wages, stating: "Minimum wage, we'll chalk it up to that. Maybe that will grease some gears a little bit with the higher-ups."[38]