Tom Rowe
Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 (also known as Freefall: Flight 174 ) is a 1995 made-for-television film based on the real-life events of Air Canada Flight 143, nicknamed the " Gimli Glider ", starring William Devane , Scott Hylands , Shelley Hack and Mariette Hartley . Set in 1983, the film follows the crew, their families and the passengers of the flight, from the preparations for departure to the emergency landing on an abandoned airfield in Manitoba , and everything in between. [1]
Two airline pilots experience a sudden loss of power in the two engines of their airliner due to a fuel pump failure and end up crashing shortly afterwards, albeit in a flight simulator . 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."( [Note 1] )
A few years earlier, on July 23, 1983, at Dorval Airport in Montreal , the ground crew of Canada World Airways struggles 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 agrees 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 crew 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 on board. 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 on 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 loaded 20,345 pounds (instead of kilograms) of fuel, less than half what they should have.
Pearson decides to divert to Winnipeg . The 767 is still far from that major airport, when suddenly, an alarm sounds, indicating they are out of fuel. It is followed by the failure of the two engines, and the complete shutdown of the instruments . Fortunately, a ram air turbine kicks in and provides limited power to the instruments. The aircraft has become a giant glider . The passengers face what they believe are their last moments alive.
Luckily, Pearson is a former glider pilot. Quintal suddenly remembers a closer airfield in Gimli and the crew decide to try to land there instead of attempting to reach Winnipeg or land in water. Unknown to them, the airfield's abandoned runway is occupied by race cars and young cyclists, which they have to dodge. The nose landing gear collapses, yet the aircraft stops within a few meters of the end of the runway. Everyone survives.
as Captain Robert Pearson as First Officer Maurice Quintal as Flight Attendant Lynn Brown as Senior Flight Attendant Larry Roberts as Pearl Dion as Air traffic controller Al Williams as Rick Dion as Beth Pearson | as Len Daniels as James Nolan as Norma Sax as Simulator Co-Pilot as Pilot Dave as Simulator Pilot |
Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 was based on Freefall: From 41,000 feet to Zero - A True Story by William and Marilyn Hoffer. Although retaining the real names of three key individuals: Pilots Bob Pearson and Maurice Quintal and Air Canada Maintenance Engineer and passenger Rick Dion, along with their families, the names of the other people and the airline and the flight number were changed. The aircraft in the flying sequences is a Boeing 767 airliner, but interior scenes were shot using a Boeing 747 mock-up .
Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 received decidedly mixed reviews. Film reviewer Hal Erickson said: "Although the actual story has enough inherent drama for five TV movies, the producers felt the necessity to add a few overly melodramatic touches to heighten the suspense; also, aviation enthusiasts weren't too happy with the script's inaccuracies, nor were movie purists impressed by the surprisingly shoddy computer enhanced special effects. Nonetheless, the film boasts excellent performances, especially from William Devane as Captain Bob Pearson." [2]
Todd Everett felt similarly in his review for Variety : "Though based on a real-life event, this air crash drama shows little suspense. Cast, heavy on unknown Canadians, lacks star value of various "Airport" and airplane-terror films; still, 'Falling From the Sky! Flight 174' shows canny instincts from network execs counterprogramming NBC's female-oriented 'A Woman of Independent Means' and, for that matter, CBS's Monday comedy bloc." [3]
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Though based on a real-life event, this air crash drama shows little suspense. Cast, heavy on unknown Canadians, lacks star value of various "Airport" and airplane-terror films; still, "Falling From the Sky! Flight 174" shows canny instincts from network execs counterprogramming NBC's female-oriented "A Woman of Independent Means" and, for that matter, CBS's Monday comedy bloc.
By Todd Everett
Though based on a real-life event, this air crash drama shows little suspense. Cast, heavy on unknown Canadians, lacks star value of various “Airport” and airplane-terror films; still, “Falling From the Sky! Flight 174” shows canny instincts from network execs counterprogramming NBC’s female-oriented “A Woman of Independent Means” and, for that matter, CBS’s Monday comedy bloc.
Most imagination here comes from the title, with exclamation point replacing the colon that’s virtually mandatory in TV docudramas.
William Devane stars as Bob Pearson, pilot for Canadian World Airlines which is, in 1983, converting to new 767 airliners and metric system of weights and measures.
Best — and scariest — moments of film come in the beginning, as members of ground crew try to figure out if plane’s fuel tanks are properly filled — whether new capacity is measured in liters, pounds, gallons, or kilograms, and how to convert measurements from one system to the other.
Other than Devane, cast has little to do save look worried, panic, or maintain stiff upper lip. Plane lands safely, ho hum, with writer Lionel Chetwynd trying to pump up suspense by placing a young boy on a bicycle in jet’s landing path, and having Pearson run back to cabin with no obvious motivation after crew and passengers have been evacuated.
Most interesting passengers are John Novac as an uptight businessman, and Jeremy Wilkin as a retired Air Force officer who maintains his cool.
Production values look cheap, acting is adequate, and film is probably 30 minutes longer than it needs to be. Still, as a time killer, it doesn’t insult audience’s intelligence.
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A fact-based telefilm about an airliner that runs out of fuel in mid-flight. William Devane. Beth Pearson: Mariette Hartley. Al Williams: Nicholas Turturro. Lynn Brown: Shelley Hack. Maurice Quintal: Scott Hylands. Jorge Montesi directed.
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COMMENTS
Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 (also known as Freefall: Flight 174) is a 1995 Canadian thriller film directed by Jorge Montesi.Based on the events of Air Canada Flight 143, the film stars William Devane, Scott Hylands, Shelley Hack and Mariette Hartley.Set in 1983, the film follows the crew, their families and the passengers of the flight, from the preparations for departure to the emergency ...
Falling from the Sky: Flight 174: Directed by Jorge Montesi. With William Devane, Scott Hylands, Shelley Hack, Kevin McNulty. True story of a brand-new Canadian airliner running out of fuel in-flight and forced to glide to the nearest airfield.
This movie goes by two titles: "Falling From The Sky" or "Freefall" - both adding "Flight 174." I saw it as "Freefall" and thought the title was a tad over-dramatic. Flight 174 was never actually in freefall - but it was out of fuel and many of its systems were crippled and it was reduced basically to gliding.
Flight 174 (1995) Falling From the Sky! Flight 174 (1995) View more photos Movie Info. Synopsis Based on the true story of an Edmonton-bound Canada World Airways Boeing 767, which runs out of fuel ...
True story of a brand-new Canadian airliner running out of fuel in-flight and forced to glide to the nearest airfield. ... Film Movie Reviews Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 — 1995. Falling ...
Falling from the Sky: Flight 174. 1995. 2 hr 0 mins. Drama. NR. Watchlist. A fact-based telefilm about an airliner that runs out of fuel in mid-flight. William Devane. Beth Pearson: Mariette Hartley.
Falling From the Sky! Flight 174. TV-PG , 1h 36m. Drama,Mystery & Thriller. Directed By: Jorge Montesi. Streaming: Apr 16, 2018. Do you think we mischaracterized a critic's review?
Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 plot. A brand new Boeing 767, owned by Canada World Airlines, leaves Montreal and heads for Edmonton. When the plane has reached the correct altitude and heading, the unthinkable happens: the plane loses kerosene. The crew foresees a disaster, as the aircraft loses more and more altitude. Based on a true story.
Production. Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 was based on Freefall: From 41,000 feet to Zero - A True Story by William and Marilyn Hoffer. Although retaining the real names of three key individuals: Pilots Bob Pearson and Maurice Quintal and Air Canada Maintenance Engineer and passenger Rick Dion, along with their families, the names of the ...
Find trailers, reviews, ... Flight 174 (1995) - Jorge Montesi on AllMovie - The made-for-TV Falling From the Sky: ... Although the actual story has enough inherent drama for five TV movies, the producers felt the necessity to add a few overly melodramatic touches to heighten the suspense; also, aviation enthusiasts weren't too happy with the ...
Check out the exclusive TV Guide movie review and see our movie rating for Falling from the Sky: Flight 174
Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 (TV) is a film directed by Jorge Montesi with William Devane, Scott Hylands, Shelley Hack, Kevin McNulty .... Year: 1995. Original title: Falling from the Sky: Flight 174. Synopsis: True story of a brand-new Canadian airliner running out of fuel in-flight and forced to glide to the nearest airfield.You can watch Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 (TV) through ...
Small handful of faces you'll recognize, but I wanted to hear, "what's your vector, Victor" when they were talking emergency shop with the control tower, cuz they couldn't stop saying vector. Molly Parker (#24 my damies!) you absolute babe. "I should have worked on loving. I never did love working." Alex 🇺🇦 ★★★.
True story of a brand-new Canadian airliner running out of fuel in-flight and forced to glide to the nearest airfield.
Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 (also known as Freefall: Flight 174) is a 1995 made-for-television film based on the real-life events of Air Canada Flight 143, nicknamed the "Gimli Glider", starring William Devane, Scott Hylands, Shelley Hack and Mariette Hartley.Set in 1983, the film follows the crew, their families and the passengers of the flight, from the preparations for departure to the ...
Feb 20, 1995 11:00pm PT. Falling from the Sky! Flight 174. Though based on a real-life event, this air crash drama shows little suspense. Cast, heavy on unknown Canadians, lacks star value of ...
A fact-based telefilm about an airliner that runs out of fuel in mid-flight. William Devane. Beth Pearson: Mariette Hartley. Al Williams: Nicholas Turturro. Lynn Brown: Shelley Hack. Maurice ...
FREEFALL: FLIGHT 174 is a TV movie thriller much in the vein of the AIRPORT movies of the 1970s. In it, a Canadian airliner runs out of fuel mid-journey and has to find somewhere to land before it crashes. ... After reading some of these reviews about the inaccuracies of the movie it kinda makes me laugh. I mean what movie is totally accurate ...
Check out the exclusive TV Guide movie review and see our movie rating for Freefall: Flight 174
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Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 (TV Movie 1995) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Menu. Movies. ... User Reviews; User Ratings; External Reviews; Metacritic Reviews; Related Items. News; External Sites; Explore More. Show Less. Create a list »
The Blue Angels follows the newest class of the storied Navy and Marine Corps flight squadron through intense training and into a season of heart-stopping aerial artistry, and the veterans on the team who, this year, will take their final flights. 103 IMDb 7.3 1 h 32 min 2024. HDR UHD G. Documentary · Action · Drama. Watch with a free Prime ...