New footage has been released from a 2018 incident in which an airline ground service agent named Richard Russell stole a turboprop plane from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and crashed it into an island in the Puget Sound.
The new footage appears to show Russell — wearing a shirt that reads “The Sky’s No Limit” — quickly making his way through a security checkpoint, walking past another airline employee, entering the cockpit, and eventually taking flight.
Breitbart News reported in 2018 that authorities interpreted Russell’s act as a suicide attempt based on remarks he made to air traffic controllers during the flight:
Investigators say Russell acted alone as a “suicidal male,” there were no other crew members on board, and officials are not investigating the incident as an act of terrorism.
[…]
Authorities say they could not pin down a motive for why Russell stole the place, but audio recordings showed that he told air traffic controllers he was “a broken guy.”
A pilot who had met Russell before the incident recalled that Russell had taken an interest in the technical aspects of starting a plane, and other aviation professionals have remarked on the “incredible maneuvers” Russell managed despite his lack of formal training, according to Rolling Stone.
Russell’s shocking act has inspired fascination online, with news outlets and social media users dubbing him the “sky king.”
One Twitter user confessed to having a “micro-obsession” with Russell:
if i text you ✈️ 💫 it means i want to talk about my new micro obsession sky king/richard russell
— Claudia (Michael Shannon Stan) (@thewaitisogre) July 12, 2022
Others have expressed sympathy for Russell, referencing comments that he made to air traffic controllers about being “a broken guy.”
Two year anniversary of the death of the Sky King, Richard Russell. 😓 pic.twitter.com/i6TSF4QJOf
— TheUltiWanderlust (@the_ulti) August 10, 2020
Yet another Twitter user shared a graphic from the website “Know Your Meme” showing a number of endearing quotes from Russell’s communications with the air traffic controllers, which many have taken as evidence of his sense of humor, desire to “hurt no one,” and even his concern for the air traffic controllers themselves.
Sky King / Richard Russell | Know Your Meme https://t.co/aIqnpbrQu0
— Barry Voltapetti (@MyVoltapetti) July 11, 2022
Rolling Stone notes that Russell’s loved ones described him as “compassionate, reliable, God-fearing, and goofy,” adding, “He was not the kind of man you’d peg for grand-theft airplane.”
You can follow Michael Foster on Twitter at @realmfoster.
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