Russell banked the Q400 on an arcing flight path around the massive summit of Mount Rainier

Russell banked the Q400 on an arcing flight path around the massive summit of Mount Rainier NORAD lost him on the radar. Radio communication fell silent. But by 7:48 p.m. the Q400 had circled the back side of the volcano and was traveling toward the Seattle metro at what the military would describe as “accelerated speed.” Russell had been in the air for approximately 15 minutes. Only now did Western Air Defense seek authorization to scramble F-15s. But NORAD's continental U.S. chief of combat operations ordered only a “suit up” by the pilots. As Russell regained ...