SXSW '26: #SKYKING

In the late summer of 2018, a ground service agent, with no pilot experience, working at the Seattle-Tacoma International airport stole a commercial airplane and took it for a ride around Washington that would end in him crashing the plane into a remote island and taking his life along with it. The so-called “sky thief” was 28-year-old Richard “Beebo” Russell, a troubled and frustrated young man who was nonetheless deeply loved by his family and friends. Patricia Gillespie’s documentary #SKYKING explores this incident in excruciating detail. It weaves together much of the air traffic control audio of the incident with interviews of Russell’s family as they listen to the recording themselves in real time. The result is a harrowing exploration of a mental breakdown where the stakes could not have been higher. 

When I walked into the theater for this screening, I knew very little of Russell’s highjacking, and even less about his life before the event. My ignorance left me in the minority of the audience. It seemed that many people were there because the event had become an online meme and Russell himself somewhat of a folk hero in the months after the crash. The audacity of a low level, disgruntled airport employee stealing and successfully piloting a plane with no real flight training had inspired a cult-like following amongst other low-paid workers across the country who felt overlooked and undervalued by their companies. The internet had dubbed him the #SKYKING, and they lauded his reckless abandon and absolutely insane attempt to stick it to the man by flying a commercial plane for an hour and 15 minutes. 

From a distance, you can understand why so many people felt inspired by Russell’s sky adventure. A man did something most of us could never dream of in what seemed like an inspired blue collar protest of corporate greed, poor wages, and lack of upward mobility. Millions of people are made miserable by their low paying, mentally-taxing jobs and would love nothing more than to show their bosses that they’re not going to take it anymore. Russell’s escapade spoke volumes to the unhappy laborer that is so ubiquitous in our current nightmare of late stage capitalism. Or, even if you didn’t care about his anti-corporate message, you might have just been charmed by the idea of a guy stealing a commercial plane that should never have been able to do a barrel roll and then doing just that with it.

Gillespie’s documentary gets far more personal with Russell’s story to the point where, at the end of the screening, much of the audience walked out in a depressed and stunned silence. From the outset audiences are warned, with a pre-credits disclaimer, that this movie is an exploration of deteriorating mental health and might be a sensitive watch for some viewers. She was right to include that warning. She manages to get most of Russell’s family, with the notable exception of his wife, and has them put on headphones to listen to the transmission of the flight. While the family members listen to the recording, they reminisce on growing up with “Beebo” and how much of a happy and fun loving kid he was. It’s almost overkill how much the sentiment of “I don’t know how this could have ever happened. He was such a happy, well behaved kid” is repeated by the interviewees. It’s clear how much his family loved him and how devastated they are by his decision to end his life. It’s tragic to watch these people have to relive one of the worst moments of their life on screen. You can see them breaking as they listen to Russell talk with the air traffic control agents about how he’s “got a few screws loose” and he has no intention of landing the plane safely. For Russell, the highjacking was always going to be a suicide mission, and his family is left to pick up the pieces of his tragic decision.

Eventually the family members start talking about Russell’s later life and what led to him having such a break with reality that the thought of flying a stolen plane to his death could enter his mind. He was struggling with his mental health and his demanding, underpaying job at the airport was contributing to his deteriorating state. He was desperate for a promotion at work and felt like his employer was maliciously blocking him from it because he was “poor, white trash”. Whether or not that claim had any veracity to it didn’t matter to Russell because he was at such a low that he felt like there was no reason to continue living his life. So he played enough flight simulation games that he felt confident enough to steal and fly a commercial plane after his shift at the airport one day. The documentary does remark on how impressive this feat was. A person should not have been able to get the plane off the ground and fly it for as long as he did. It also highlights just how unstable Russell was. 

The ending is a foregone conclusion, but that doesn’t make it any less upsetting. Going through this journey with Russell’s family is a tough watch. We learn about the intimate details of the life of a sick man who needed much more help than he got. Sure, the internet would end up making a hero out of him and the tale of his infamous first and final flight will be told for years to come, but that doesn’t do enough to sugarcoat the reality of the situation. Gillespie’s documentary aims to expose the insidious nature of unchecked mental illness at its most extreme, and for the most part she succeeds. #SKYKING is a tough watch but it is a rewarding one. Richard Russell’s story is truly unforgettable and will be unshakable for many people who choose to witness it. 

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