10 movies inspired by real-life plane crashes and accidents

10 movies inspired by real-life plane crashes and accidents

By Entertainment Desk June 09, 2025 

The Captain

Inspired by 2018’s Sichuan Airlines Flight 8633 incident and how the pilot’s extraordinary skill saved everyone on board after the cockpit windshield shattered mid-air.

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Society of the Snow

Based on the 1972 Andes plane crash, this gripping film explores the true story of a Uruguayan rugby team’s survival in the snowy mountains following the accident.

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Sully

Based on the 2009 ‘Miracle on the Hudson,’ film follows Captain Sully as he safely landed a US Airways flight on the Hudson River after a bird strike disabled both engines.

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Alive

Another retelling of the Andes crash, Alive is a 1993 film that showcases the same tragic event as Society of the Snow but with a Hollywood lens.

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Flight

Loosely inspired by Alaska Airlines 261, Flight follows a pilot whose secret alcoholism surfaces after he miraculously lands a crashing plane.

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Flight of the Phoenix

Inspired by fragments of real stories, this film sees survivors of a cargo plane crash in the desert building a new aircraft from the wreckage.

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Fearless

Loosely inspired by the crash of United Airlines Flight 232 in 1989, Fearless focuses more on the psychological aftermath of a plane crash.

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Runway 34

Inspired by a real flight incident involving Jet Airways in 2015, this Indian thriller shows a pilot’s decision to land a flight under extreme weather conditions.

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Zubeidaa

Though not typically listed in aviation disaster films, it follows the fatal 1950s plane crash that took the life of actress-turned-royal Zubeidaa Begum.

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The Aviator

Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator portrays Howard Hughes’ several real-life incidents involving plane test flights that nearly killed Hughes.

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