Lev Hunter was originally tasked with stealing a state-of-the-art Russian fighter jet from a heavily guarded military base. The mission was part of the secret Operation WILD CHERRY, which aimed to analyze Soviet aviation technology and thus advance the development of the SR-71 Blackbird.

But on the night of the operation, everything went wrong: The alarm was triggered, the area was cordoned off, and Lev had to disguise himself at the last second by putting on a Russian pilot's uniform. The planned evacuation was no longer possible, and the target – the fighter jet – was out of reach.

In a moment of desperation, Lev spotted a medium-sized Russian transport plane on the airfield. Without hesitation, he sprinted through the snow, climbed into the cockpit, and started the plane directly from the runway—a risky cold start under extreme time pressure. The plane was only partially fueled, but Lev calculated that the remaining fuel would at least get him to Alaska.

He flew at low altitude to evade radar, using the light of the full moon reflected off the snow for navigation. When he finally reached a safe altitude, he realized he would just barely make it to Alaska – but radio contact was disrupted, and his distress call was never received.