Falling from the Sky: Flight 174
Encyclopedia
Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 (also known as Freefall: Flight 174) is a 1995 television movie
based on the story of Air Canada Flight 143 Known as the "Gimli Glider
". It follows the crew, their families and the passengers of the flight, set in 1983, from the preparations for departure to the crash landing in an abandoned airfield in Manitoba
, and everything in between. Unlike the novel Freefall (by William and Marilyn Hoffer), the airline and flight number were changed from Air Canada Flight 143 to Canada World Airways Flight 174.
. In complete disbelief that such a scenario could ever happen in real life, they protest to the examiner. He tells them that "It isn't a dream. It happened."
Flashback to a few years earlier, on July 23, 1983 at Dorval Airport in Montreal
. The ground crews of Canada World Airways struggle to convert gallons into liters and pounds into kilograms, as they prepare to refuel a brand-new Boeing 767
bound for Edmonton. This is the first aircraft in the fleet to use the metric system
and they are about to make a terrible conversion mistake. Meanwhile, Beth Pearson (Mariette Hartley) drives her husband, Captain Robert Pearson (William Devane), to the airport, unusually anxious about hosting her in-laws later that day. Elsewhere in Montréal, First Officer Maurice Quintal (Scott Hylands) reluctantly accepts to cover for an injured colleague, leaving behind his sick wife.
The two airmen feel uneasy about their 767 having an inoperative fuel gauge, but are somewhat reassured to see the ground crews measuring the quantity of fuel in the tanks: 20,345 kg, or so they believe, enough to take them to Vancouver
. Their Flight Management Computer will constantly indicate the quantity aboard. After a delay, the passengers board flight 174, including Rick Dion (Winston Rekert), the airline's chief mechanic, as well as his wife and three-year-old boy.
After takeoff, Dion visits Pearson in the flight deck. Their conversation is suddenly interrupted by a series of beeps indicating a failure with one of the fuel pumps. After activating the cross-feeding valve between the tanks, the alarm stops. Later, another fuel pump fails. Quintal revises the notepad used by the ground crew in Montréal and discovers they have loaded 20,345 pounds instead of 20,345 kg, leading to a potential fuel exhaustion.
Pearson decides to divert to Winnipeg
, much to the dismay of his passengers. The 767 is still far from that major airport, when suddenly, an alarm sounds, indicating a complete fuel exhaustion. It is followed by the failure of the two engines, and the complete shutdown of the glass cockpit
until the ram air turbine kicks in and provides limited power to the instruments. The aircraft has become a giant glider
. All the passengers start to appreciate what they believe are their last living moments.
Luckily, Pearson is a former glider pilot. Quintal suddenly remembers the presence of an abandoned airfield in Gimli
and the crew decide to land there instead of attempting to reach Winnipeg or landing in water. Unknown to them, the airfield's abandoned runway is occupied by race cars and young cyclists, which they dodge all the way until touchdown. The nose landing gear
collapses, yet the aircraft stops within a few meters of the end of the runway. Everyone survived.
but interior scenes were with a Boeing 747 mock-up.
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
based on the story of Air Canada Flight 143 Known as the "Gimli Glider
Gimli Glider
The Gimli Glider is the nickname of the Air Canada aircraft that was involved in a notable aviation incident. On 23 July 1983, Air Canada Flight 143, a Boeing 767-200 jet, ran out of fuel at an altitude of ASL, about halfway through its flight from Montreal to Edmonton via Ottawa...
". It follows the crew, their families and the passengers of the flight, set in 1983, from the preparations for departure to the crash landing in an abandoned airfield in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, and everything in between. Unlike the novel Freefall (by William and Marilyn Hoffer), the airline and flight number were changed from Air Canada Flight 143 to Canada World Airways Flight 174.
Cast
- William DevaneWilliam DevaneWilliam Joseph Devane is an American film, television and theater actor.-Life and career:Devane was born in Albany, New York in 1937 or 1939 , the son of Joseph Devane, who was Franklin D. Roosevelt's chauffeur when he was Governor of New York...
— Captain Robert Pearson - Scott HylandsScott HylandsScott Hylands is a Canadian actor who has appeared in movies, television, and on the stage. He is probably best known for his role of Detective Kevin "O.B." O'Brien on the television series Night Heat, played from 1985 to 1989...
— First Officer Maurice Quintal - Shelley HackShelley HackShelley Marie Hack is an American supermodel, actress, producer, and political & media advisor. Hack is best remembered for her role as Tiffany Welles in the fourth season of the ABC Television Drama Charlie's Angels ; replacing the departing Kate Jackson...
— Flight Attendant Lynn Brown - Kevin McNultyKevin McNultyKevin McNulty is a Canadian actor.McNulty was born in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. He has acted on three aviation movies: Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 with William Devane, Final Descent with Robert Urich and Snakes on a Plane with Samuel L. Jackson...
— Senior Flight Attendant Larry Roberts - Gwynyth WalshGwynyth WalshGwynyth Walsh is a Canadian actress best known for her role of the Star Trek character B'Etor, one of the Duras sisters.She was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1958 and raised in Vancouver. Walsh earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Alberta and started her career appearing on stage...
— Pearl Dion - Suzy Joachim — Flight Attendant Florence Bisaillon
- Nicholas TurturroNicholas TurturroNicholas Turturro, Jr. is an American film, television and prolific on-stage character actor, perhaps best known for his role as James Martinez, on NYPD Blue from 1993 to 2000.-Early life:...
— Air traffic controller Al Williams - Winston RekertWinston RekertWinston Rekert is a Canadian actor from Vancouver, British Columbia. He won 2 Gemini Awards, one for Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series for the TV Series: Blue Murder in 2003 and one for Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Continuing Dramatic Role for the TV Series...
— Rick Dion - Mariette HartleyMariette HartleyMary Loretta "Mariette" Hartley is an American character actress.-Personal life:Hartley was born in Weston, Connecticut, the daughter of Mary Ickes “Polly” , a manager and saleswoman, and Paul Hembree Hartley, an account executive. Her maternal grandfather was psychologist John B...
— Beth Pearson - Joel Palmer — Chris Dion
Plot
Two airline pilots are experiencing a sudden loss of power in the two engines of their airliner due to a fuel pump failure, and end up crashing shortly afterwards. It is revealed that they were in a flight simulatorFlight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
. In complete disbelief that such a scenario could ever happen in real life, they protest to the examiner. He tells them that "It isn't a dream. It happened."
Flashback to a few years earlier, on July 23, 1983 at Dorval Airport in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. The ground crews of Canada World Airways struggle to convert gallons into liters and pounds into kilograms, as they prepare to refuel a brand-new Boeing 767
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
bound for Edmonton. This is the first aircraft in the fleet to use the metric system
Metric system
The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...
and they are about to make a terrible conversion mistake. Meanwhile, Beth Pearson (Mariette Hartley) drives her husband, Captain Robert Pearson (William Devane), to the airport, unusually anxious about hosting her in-laws later that day. Elsewhere in Montréal, First Officer Maurice Quintal (Scott Hylands) reluctantly accepts to cover for an injured colleague, leaving behind his sick wife.
The two airmen feel uneasy about their 767 having an inoperative fuel gauge, but are somewhat reassured to see the ground crews measuring the quantity of fuel in the tanks: 20,345 kg, or so they believe, enough to take them to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. Their Flight Management Computer will constantly indicate the quantity aboard. After a delay, the passengers board flight 174, including Rick Dion (Winston Rekert), the airline's chief mechanic, as well as his wife and three-year-old boy.
After takeoff, Dion visits Pearson in the flight deck. Their conversation is suddenly interrupted by a series of beeps indicating a failure with one of the fuel pumps. After activating the cross-feeding valve between the tanks, the alarm stops. Later, another fuel pump fails. Quintal revises the notepad used by the ground crew in Montréal and discovers they have loaded 20,345 pounds instead of 20,345 kg, leading to a potential fuel exhaustion.
Pearson decides to divert to Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, much to the dismay of his passengers. The 767 is still far from that major airport, when suddenly, an alarm sounds, indicating a complete fuel exhaustion. It is followed by the failure of the two engines, and the complete shutdown of the glass cockpit
Glass cockpit
A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, as opposed to the traditional style of analog dials and gauges...
until the ram air turbine kicks in and provides limited power to the instruments. The aircraft has become a giant glider
Glider aircraft
Glider aircraft are heavier-than-air craft that are supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against their lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend on an engine. Mostly these types of aircraft are intended for routine operation without engines, though engine failure can...
. All the passengers start to appreciate what they believe are their last living moments.
Luckily, Pearson is a former glider pilot. Quintal suddenly remembers the presence of an abandoned airfield in Gimli
Gimli, Manitoba
Gimli is a a rural municipality located in the Interlake region of south-central Manitoba, Canada, on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg. It is about north of the provincial capital Winnipeg...
and the crew decide to land there instead of attempting to reach Winnipeg or landing in water. Unknown to them, the airfield's abandoned runway is occupied by race cars and young cyclists, which they dodge all the way until touchdown. The nose landing gear
Landing Gear
Landing Gear is Devin the Dude's fifth studio album. It was released on October 7, 2008. It was his first studio album since signing with the label Razor & Tie. It features a high-profile guest appearance from Snoop Dogg. As of October 30, 2008, the album has sold 18,906 copies.-Track...
collapses, yet the aircraft stops within a few meters of the end of the runway. Everyone survived.
Production
Although retaining the real names of three key individuals: Pilots Bob Pearson, Maurice Quintal, and Air Canada Maintenance Engineer and passenger on the flight, Rick Dion along with their families, the names of other people as well as the airline and the flight number were changed. The aircraft in the flying sequences is a Boeing 767Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
but interior scenes were with a Boeing 747 mock-up.