On August 9, 2010, JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater, a 20-year veteran of the industry, reached his breaking point after his plane landed at JFK. He got on the PA system, announced he was done, grabbed two beers, deployed the emergency inflatable slide, and walked away, becoming an instant viral folk hero of workplace frustration.

This episode looks past the meme to the mechanical danger, legal fallout, and human reality behind the incident. Investigators found no witnesses to corroborate his story of an abusive passenger, and the aftermath exposed serious airport security gaps, while Slater's own private crisis, including illness, a dying mother, and addiction, reframed the entire event.

• The explosive force of an emergency slide, described in a JetBlue memo as as dangerous as a gun
• Why dozens of passenger interview ...