This is the first picture of Horizon Air employee Richard Russell who died after crashing a stolen plane on an island outside Seattle.
The "suicidal" ground service agent, 29, was seen doing loops and other air stunts in the aircraft after staging an unauthorised take-off.
He was chased by two military jets before crashing on Ketron Island in Puget Sound, along the northwestern coast of Washington state, US.
He is presumed dead after the incident.
Speaking to the Seattle Times, a retired Horizon Air operational supervisor said Richard was "quiet guy" who was seemingly well-liked by colleagues.
"I feel really bad for Richard and for his family," Rick Christenson added.
"I hope they can make it through this.”
Richard, who was married, said he was hoping for a "moment of serenity" after taking off at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport last night.
He described himself as a "broken guy" in a conversation with air traffic controllers, who were attempting to help him land the aircraft safely.
In audio recordings from inside the plane’s cockpit, he said he planned to attempt "a barrel roll" before nose-diving and "calling it a night".
He appeared calm at first and even joked about being offered a job as a pilot if he did manage to land the Horizon Air Q400 turboprop safely.
But he said: "I wouldn’t know how to land.
"I wasn’t really planning on landing it."
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said Richard was "suicidal" and "acted alone", with no passengers onboard the aircraft.
In an earlier Twitter post, it said preliminary information suggested the crash occurred due to "doing stunts in air or lack of flying skills".
It was not a terrorist incident, the sheriff’s office added.
In the audio recordings, Richard appeared to become distressed during the conversation after reporting concerns his fuel was running out.
He also said an engine might have "blown".
"Sorry, my mic came off," he told an air traffic controller.
"I threw up a little bit. I’m sorry about this, I hope it doesn’t ruin your day."
He said he felt "kind of lightheaded" and "dizzy".
"Man, the sights went by so fast," he said. "I was thinking, like, I’m going to have this moment of serenity, take in all the sights. There’s a lot of pretty stuff, but they’re pretty in a different context."
The young man made it clear he did not want anyone else to be hurt.
He also apologised to his family and admitted "there are a lot of people who care about me".
Richard is thought to have worked for Horizon Air for nearly four years – as a ground service agent and as an operations agent.
He had been a member of Horizon’s tow team, according to Rick.
Employees in the team are said to be trained how to use some plane systems – like the hydraulics, radios and auxiliary power unit,
According to a post on his blog around two years ago, Richard was born in Key West, Florida, but moved to Wasilla, Alaska, when he was seven.
In 2010, he met his "incredible" wife Hannah in Oregon. They tied the knot a year later before opening a bakery together.
However, they apparently decided to sell the bakery and move in 2015 "because we were both so far removed from our families".
Richard writes: "Failing to convince Hannah of Alaska’s greatness, we settled on Sumner because of its close proximity to her family.
"I, meanwhile, obtained a job working for Horizon Airlines (partnered with Alaska Airlines) so I’m able to fly to Alaska at my leisure.
"In this season of life we enjoy exploring as much as possible, whether its a day (or so) trip to one of Alaska Airline’s destinations, or visiting a new area of Washington."
He adds: "Once I earn my Bachelors in Social Sciences I will either seek a management position where I’m at now, or possibly join the military as an officer."
His blog features pictures of him and Hannah at various locations.
Horizon Air is a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group.
The company’s CEO Brad Tilden said in a statement at 1.20am today local time that it was working to find out everything possible about the incident.
He said: “There was an incident late yesterday involving the unauthorized operation of one of our aircraft that took off from Sea-Tac around 8 p.m.
“We are still gathering facts, but at this point we understand there was only one person aboard, an employee of Horizon Air, who was operating the aircraft.
"I want to share how incredibly sad all of us at Alaska are about this incident. Our heart is heavy for the family and friends of the person involved."
He added: “We’re working to find out everything we possibly can about what happened, working with the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Transportation Safety Board. We are giving those investigators our full support and cooperation.
“With these investigations underway, our focus will remain on supporting the family of the individual involved, the broader Alaska and Horizon family, and our communities and guests."
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It remains unclear how Richard was able to taxi the plane on a runway and take off without authorisation. Video footage on social media showed a large plane flying above the Seattle area with an F-15 following it.
"Okay this insane. A pilot on the plane in front of us just went rogue and took off on an empty plane bypassing orders from the tower," tweeted Ben Schaechter, a passenger on a plane waiting to take off before the incident.
Fire crews were working to put out the fire from the crash on Ketron Island, a sparsely populated island 25 miles southwest of the airport.
The Bombardier Q400 turboprop airplane is designed for shorter-distance flights and can seat 76 passengers, Alaska Air said on its website.
Normal operations have resumed at the airfield.
If you need to speak to someone, Samaritans are available 24/7 by calling 116 123 or by emailing [email protected]
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