On this day in history in 2018, 28-year-old Richard Russell — remembered as "Sky King" — borrowed an airplane from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for a joyride before crashing into a remote island.
Russell had worked as a ground crew member, partly so he could visit his family in Alaska more often. Though he had no formal flight training other than playing video games, he developed a deep fascination with aviation. On the evening of August 10th, he gained access to an aircraft and took off smoothly, only drawing attention once fellow employees realized something was wrong.
During his flight, Russell flew over Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountains, did a barrel roll, and even requested GPS coordinates for a recently sighted orca and calf.
Air traffic controllers, two F-15 fighter jets, and a civilian pilot tried to persuade him to land, but their efforts were unsuccessful. When the plane eventually ran out of fuel, Russell guided it into Ketron Island. His death was ruled a suicide, possibly linked to past brain injuries from multiple concussions.
His family remembered him as “a faithful husband, a loving man, and a good friend… He was right in saying that there are so many people who loved him.” Rest in peace, Sky King.
@evielong13 @DiscoShaman@Variety It’s role play 😂 go look under any tweet by @VoughtIntl and you’ll see people acting like citizens in the boys universe