After the recent accident that took place on Thursday afternoon in Ahmedabad, India where hundreds of innocent people lost their lives in the horrifying crash of Air India Flight AI-171 into the undergraduate hostel mess of BJ Medical College (BJMC) in the Meghani Nagar area of Ahmedabad, the country is shaken and people are desperate to know the reasons behind this unfortunate incident. So, this is the list of movies based on real-life aviation accidents that explore the truth and the various reasons behind various tragic incidents, which might help you in understanding plane crashes and the different causes that can lead to such an unfortunate result.
Sully: Miracle on the Hudson (2016)
Based on a real-life “Miracle on the Hudson” which happened in 2009, this incident was a near-death experience for everyone who boarded the flight, but got saved by a witty pilot Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger who executed a successful water landing of US Airway Flight 1549 in the Hudson River after both the engines failed due to a bird strike. This film is available to be streamed on the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video.
Alive (1993)
Based on the true story of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which crashed in the Andes Mountains on October 13, 1972, this film revolves around the Uruguayan rugby team and also portrays ‘cannibalism’ which was an act of survival by the 16 survivors who were left stranded in the chilling mountain for 72 days in extreme conditions.
Runway 34 (2022)
Ajay Devgan starrer, ‘Runway 34’ is a film loosely based on the real aviation incident that occurred in August 2015, involving a Jet Airways flight from Doha to Kochi. It portrays a near-miss landing at Cochin International Airport due to poor visibility, with the pilots having to perform a “blind landing”.
Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
Based on a book of the same name authored by ‘Elleston Trevor’, released in 2004, this movie portrays the immense challenges of survival and escape when a cargo plane was forced to land in isolated desert regions during World War II.
Zubeida (2001)
Based on the true story of the actress and singer ‘Zubeida Begum’ who married Maharaja Hanwant Singh of Jodhpur and became the queen, this movie revolves around the life of ‘Zubeida Begum’, her marriage with Maharaja, and their tragic end in the plane crash in January 1952. The screenplay for this film was written by her son, Khalid Mohammad, who is an Indian journalist, film critic, screenwriter, and director.
Miracle Landing (1990)
Based on a terrifying in-flight accident that took place in April 1998 on Aloha Airlines Flight 243, where a significant portion of the plane’s fuselage ripped open mid-flight, this movie showcases the miraculous landing made by Captain Bob Schornstheimer and Pilot Mimi Tompkins.
The Captain (2019)
This Chinese film is based on the real-life incident of Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633 on May 14, 2018, when the cockpit windshield shattered at 32,000 feet during flight from Chongqing to Lhasa. The pilots performed an extraordinary emergency landing, saving all 119 passengers and 9 crew members.