SPOKANE, Wash. — A plane that has flown all over the world made its final stop on Monday after crash landing at Felts Field Airport in Spokane Valley.
While the plane was damaged, it’s pilot, Robert Delaurentis, escaped uninjured.
Over the course of six years, Delaurentis flew thousands of miles across multiple countries in his 1983 plane named ‘Citizen of the World.’
The plane took him from the North Pole to the South Pole and around the equator. All along the way, he documented his travels.
“We were interviewing people about what it means to be a ‘citizen of the world,’ and how do you find peace in your world,” said Delaurentis, the former U.S. Navy pilot.
He calls himself the ‘Peace Pilot’ and said his flights have a special mission.
“[Bringing] humanity closer together. The fact that the place always delivered me to the ground safely was sort of highlighted yesterday,” said Delaurentis.
He was flying from western Washington to the east side on Monday when he lost power while landing, about 100 feet above Felts Field.
“The plane continued to drop and hit the ground relatively flat, doing about 115 miles an hour, which is 100 knots,” said Delaurentis.
When the plane hit the ground, it slid across the grass field, allowing its pilot to exit safely.
Delaurentis said this is most likely the Citizen of the World’s last flight, but he doesn’t see it as a tragic ending. Rather, he said he views it as a celebration of its long and historic career.
“You know, it’s happening for a reason. So, we believe that. The Citizen of the World had a reason, mostly to benefit humanity, I think,” he said.
The plane made its final flight the day before a documentary about its travels was set to premiere.
“There’s always another chapter, and the plane delivered us right to the doorstep of that next chapter. It’s kind of like when a candle burns out, it burns just a little brighter for one second, and then it’s out,” said Delaurentis.
COPYRIGHT 2024 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
