Details

Release year: 1964

Storyline

An airline executive refuses to believe that pilot error, by his friend, caused a fatal crash and persists in looking for another reason.

Top credits

Directors

Ralph Nelson

Writers

Cast

Glenn Ford — Sam McBane
Nancy Kwan — Sally Fraser
Rod Taylor — Capt. Jack Savage
Suzanne Pleshette — Martha Webster

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Awards

0 wins & 1 nomination

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Did you know

• The fictional airliner in this movie is a DC-7, substantially altered to look like a contemporary jet airliner, but not resemble any that actually existed. Because of the theme (and to avoid spoiling an excellent ending), no airline or aircraft manufacturer would have anything to do with the movie, and any resemblance to an actual aircraft would invite litigation. Curiously, there are aspects to the fake wings that are almost 30 years ahead of their time.

• The ultimate cause of the accident uncovered by investigators at the end of the film was a spilled cup of coffee in the cockpit which caused a short-circuit, which produced an instrument error that resulted in the pilot making a fatal mistake. This oddly mirrors a NON-fatal incident in February 2019. While flying a large commercial airplane from Frankfurt, Germany, to Cancun, Mexico, the captain's coffee spilled on the flight deck and caused a short-circuit in the radio communication systems and some smoke in the cockpit. The radio became partially inoperative as a result. Unlike the unfortunate crew in the film, the Airbus crew diverted successfully and made a safe landing at Shannon, Ireland. All from a cup of coffee.

• Jane Russell considered herself semi retired at this time and agreed to do a cameo for her friend Aaron Rosenberg.