Final Descent (1997) (TV)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Mike Robe

Writers (WGA):

Robert P. Davis (book)
Roger Young (teleplay)

Release Date:

12 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

An airliner collides with a light plane just after takeoff, causing its elevators to jam in the full climb position...

Plot Keywords:

Mid Air | Disaster | Aviation | Based On Book

Cast

Robert Urich	...	Capt. Glen (Lucky) Singer
Annette O'Toole	...	Connie Phipps
John de Lancie	...	Capt. George W. Bouchard
Jim Byrnes	...	Duke Houston
Ken Pogue	...	Ian Pryce
Blu Mankuma	...	Jack Eberly
Tom McBeath	...	Pilot of Private Plane N9478C
Kevin McNulty	...	Henry Gibbons
Stephen E. Miller	...	Lt. Col. Frank O'Hearn
Gwynyth Walsh	...	Patty
Lorraine Landry	...	Jill Zimmer
Carrie Cain-Sparks	...	Crystal Dupree (as Carrie Cain Sparks)
Aaron Joseph	...	Adam Dupree
Louva Meloche	...	Tasha
Cody Serpa	...	Freddie

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:PG | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Columbia TriStar Television

Trivia:

The aircraft is a Gallant 270, made by Gallant Aviation, a fictitious company; probably named after producer Michael O. Gallant.

Goofs:

Factual errors: After the small plane N9748C takes off from runway 9R, it must be flying at or near heading 090. The controller now orders a right turn to heading 040. This would imply almost a full-circle turn, taking some time. Within seconds the ATC equipment sounds a collision alert, implying that once the turn started it put the two planes on a collision course. The controller now orders first Quest 19, then '48C, to turn right immediately, after which we see both pilots begin a right turn.

Quotes:

Patty: Are we going to crash?
Duke: Yeah. I'd say there's a very good chance of that.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Final Run (1999) (TV)

Surely unrealistic, but pretty funny Tv-movie

This movie is not much realistic, sure. It is more realistic than airport 79 (that movie where a Concorde is far more manouverable than a military jetplane!), but it is obvious... Indeed, I have to say that this Tv-movie is full of nice ideas in the plot, movie ideas, OK, but also funny for this reason. So, if you like the catastrophic genre, take a look at this very economic movie. But don't expect a realistic movie: no one has realized, up today, a really realistic movie about the airplanes.