(WTVO) — Five years ago today, an airport worker with no piloting experience stole a regional airliner and flew around Washington state for over an hour before tragically crashing in the Puget Sound.

Richard Russell, 29, stole an empty, 76-passenger Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport around 7:19 p.m. on August 10, 2018.

It was the first time a commercial aircraft had ever been stolen off the ramp of an active airport in U.S. history, an aerospace official told Rolling Stone.

An employee for Horizon Air, Russell reportedly towed the turboprop out of a hanger during his shift, climbed in the cockpit and took off, executing one of the most serious domestic airline-security breaches since 9/11.

What happened next was far from expected. Despite zero flying hours, Russell managed to take the plane into the air and was in full control during the flight; navigating around Mount Rainier and even performing aerial stunts like a barrel roll.

Transmissions between Russell and air traffic control were recorded and posted to social media. Russell told ATC he was a “broken guy, got a few screws loose I guess. Never really knew it until now,” but iterated that he did not intend to hurt anyone.

When asked by ATC if he was comfortable flying the plane, Russell said “Oh hell yeah, it’s a blast. I’ve played video games before so, I know what I’m doing a little bit.”

Russell flew for over an hour, executing maneuvers that Horizon Airlines CEO Gary Beck described as “incredible.” Beck added that he “did not know how [Russell] achieved the experience that he did.”

About an hour and 15 minutes after takeoff, Russell intentionally crashed the airplane on a sparsely-populated island in the Puget Sound, killing himself. No other injuries were reported.

“[Russell] was a warm, compassionate man,” said Russell’s family in a statement. “He was a faithful husband, a loving man, and a good friend.”