''Airline Disaster'' is an

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

disaster film A disaster film or disaster movie is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject and primary plot device. Such disasters may include natural disasters, accidents, military/terrorist attacks or global catastrophes such as ...

directed by John J. Willis III and starring

Meredith Baxter Meredith Ann Baxter (born June 21, 1947) is an American actress and Film producer, producer. She is known for her roles on the CBS sitcom ''Bridget Loves Bernie'' (1972–73), American Broadcasting Company, ABC drama series ''Family (1976 TV ser ...

, Scott Valentine,

Lindsey McKeon Lindsey McKeon is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Marah Lewis on '' Guiding Light'' and Taylor James on ''One Tree Hill''. She previously starred on '' Saved by the Bell: The New Class'' as Katie Peterson from 1996–2000. L ...

and Jay Beyers. It was distributed by

The Asylum The Asylum is an American independent film company and distributor that focuses on producing low-budget, direct-to-video films. It is notorious for producing titles that capitalize on productions by major studios, often using film titles and sc ...

. The

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

film was broadcast in 2010 and released to home media in 2011.

Plot

On a maiden flight with Coastal Airlines, the Starquest airliner program introduces the most sophisticated and enjoyable flying experience to date, with pilot Joseph Franklin ( Scott Valentine) in charge. Special Agent Gina Vitale (

) is on the flight to protect Franklin, who is also the President's brother. At Franklin's house, two thugs break in, kill the housekeeper and abduct his wife and children. A group of 10

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

s, who have sneaked guns onto the flight, force their way into the cockpit, killing the navigator. Agent Vitale makes it into the cargo hold and is able to contact her home base. Robert Stevens (Geoff Meed), the leader of the assault, forces the pilot to contact his sister, President Harriet Franklin (

) and demands that 10 of his Argus Aryan Brotherhood be released. A group of

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As the result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, th ...

fighters tail the hijacked airliner, but one of them is destroyed in a fuel dump. When the autopilot malfunctions, the airliner plunges to the earth before pulling out of the dive just above a city. Willie (Amir Wilker) brings a flight attendant to the cargo hold, but encounters Vitale, who kills him. Other terrorists shoot a flight attendant, thinking she is the sky marshal. When the President does not release the "brothers", Robert shoots another flight attendant. With an FBI SWAT team at the isolated cabin where Joe Franklin's family is held, in the White House, President Franklin gives the command to initiate "Kittyhawk", a secret system that can remotely control aircraft from a satellite. Just when the airliner goes out of control, the President realizes she must make a momentous decision, choosing between her family and the safety of the people in the cities below. In the cargo hold, when Robert reveals that the skyjacking is a ruse for a bank heist, he is confronted by Vitale and chooses to trigger an explosion that not only kills him but results in the cargo door slicing off a jet engine. With the Starquest plummeting out of control and heading for Washington, the order to shoot it down results in the pursuing jet fighters being ineffective when the airliner's automated defense systems are triggered. Finally acting to protect the passengers, the

Sky Marshal A sky marshal is a covert law enforcement or counter-terrorist agent on board a commercial aircraft to counter aircraft hijackings. Such an agent is also known as an air marshal, a flight marshal, or an in-flight security officer (IFSO). Sky marsh ...

(Peter Smith) is killed, but Vitale shoots the terrorists and takes back control of the Starquest. With the Franklin family rescued, the President resorts to a last-ditch attempt to down the aircraft. Using a new and unpredictable satellite-based laser results in taking out one of the trailing F-22 Raptors. She tells her brother to do the only thing left, pilot the Starquest to a water landing on the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

, at

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

Cast

as President Harriet Franklin *

as Special Agent Gina Vitale * Scott Valentine as Joseph Franklin * Geoff Meed as Robert Stevens * Jude Gerard Prest as First Officer Bill Alexander * Matt Lagan as National Security Advisor Cason * Bart Baggett as Harry * Londale Theus as Agent Melville * Chip Ben as Fred * Nicholas J. Leinbach as DJ Rocker * Ed Callison as General Dillard * Jim Boeven as "Snake" * Carl Watts as Digrazzi * Peter Smith as Sky Marshal * Riley Polanski as Michael Franklin * Piper Watts as Gwen Franklin * Anthony Wemyss as Elton Loomis * Amir Wilker as Willie * Annie McCain Engman as Jeri * Maria Frisk as Ruth * Victoria Dadi as Denise * William Morse as Buster * Lauren McClain as Molly *

Stephen Blackehart Stephen T. Blackehart (born December 1, 1967) is an American character actor, author, and producer. Education Blackehart began his artistic education at the University of South Florida under BAFTA-winning character actor Paul Massie, before ...

as Chief of Staff DeToro

Production

After a lengthy career as a cinematographer, electrician, gaffer and film crew member, John Willis III (credited as John "Jay"' Willis III) made his directorial debut in ''Airline Disaster''.

Release

''Airline Disaster'' was released domestically on DVD on May 3, 2011, and internationally, on December 1, 2011. The DVD came with a "behind-the-scenes" film.

Reception

On its release on Blu-ray, in a searing indictment of ''Airline Disaster'', reviewer Martin Liebman, described the film as the epitome of "... epically bad and lazy movies". He further stated: "Unacceptable. Insulting. Unbelievable. 'Disaster' aptly describes this mind-boggling junk heap of a movie that's awful even by The Asylum's low standards." Reviewer Jeffrey Long in the ''B-Movie Review'' of ''Airline Disaster'', however, found "this is pretty close to as good as they can get in the B-Movie realm".Long, Jeffrey
"Review: 'Airline Disaster'."
''B-Movie Review'', January 03, 2012. Retrieved: June 16, 2019.

References

Notes

External links

* {{IMDb title, 1610528
''Airline Disaster''
at

2010 films 2010 action films 2010 independent films American aviation films American disaster films American action films The Asylum films 2010s English-language films Films about fictional presidents of the United States Films about aircraft hijackings 2010s American films English-language action films