Typhoon1244
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- Joined
- Jul 29, 2002
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I'm glad you asked!jergar999 said:While on the topic, anyone care to speculate on the realism of the crash scene in Castaway?
The crash in Cast Away was a lot like the one in U.S. Marshalls: the level of accuracy was pretty good until impact. Then they got more interested in cool visual effects than reality. (In Marshalls, I was particularly struck by the way the F/O was calling our altitudes in both MSL and AGL as they came screaming downhill: "Twelve thousand! Ten thousand! Eight thousand, six thousand A.G.L.!" A nice touch.)
But back to Cast Away. We never get to find out what exactly caused the crash, but from the standpoint of Hanks' character, it doesn't really matter. It was a DC-10...maybe a freak lightnigng strike took off an engine and tore out a bunch of hydraulic lines.
I never figured out why Hanks got thrown aft when they hit the water, a prety glaring error if you ask me.
And as for number two still running after the plane hit the water and broke in half...the technical advisor must've been on his lunch brake. Even if such a thing could happen, the #2 fan is buried deep inside the DC-10's tail-mounted intake. It's not at the front of the nacelle as it's depicted in the movie. Hanks shouldn't have been able to see that big ol' fan coming at him at all.
One aspect of the movie I felt was very accurate: the dead captain is wearing what are basically black sneakers. I can imagine him saying "Screw the regs! I'm going to be comfortable." Probably the most realistic part of the movie. (I've never flown for FedEx. Maybe their chief pilots aren't as strict about uniforms as some other companies are...)