Film to be made on Air Transat's heroic landing in Azores

[Widow]

Film to be made on Quebec pilot's miracle landing
By Brendan Kelly, The Gazette
September 3, 2009

Piché: Entre ciel et terre will not just be a glorification of the heroics of Air Transat pilot Robert Piché, according to filmmaker Sylvain Archambault.

Archambault – who directed the award-winning TV drama Les Lavigueur and the upcoming Habs-themed flick Pour toujours: Les Canadiens – said the film will also focus on the more somber moments in Piché’s life, including his arrest in the 1980s for smuggling drugs into the U.S.

“I talked to him quite a bit,” said Archambault. “I said: ‘Tell me the truth, I need it’. And he was fabulously open. I discovered a great man and he’s not afraid of his dark side.”

He spent 19 months in a Georgia prison after he was caught flying marijuana into the U.S. He was subsequently pardoned. The drug-bust was made public after he became a major celebrity here thanks to his heroics in cockpit. He glided a crippled Airbus jet to a safe landing in the Azores back in 2001. The plane had lost all of its fuel and he was forced to bring it in without any working engines.

“He’s a real hero and you don’t see that every day,” said Archambault.

Producer Pixcom held a press conference Thursday to unveil the cast of the film, which begins shooting here next week. (One day of special-effects filming was completed last week.) As previously announced, Michel Côté – currently starring in the monster hit De père en flic – plays Piché, a natural choice given that he bears an uncanny resemblance to the pilot. Maxime Leflaguais will play Piché in his 20s, Sophie Prégent is his wife Régine, Isabelle Guérard portrays an early girlfriend, Vincent Leclerc plays the co-pilot, and Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse is his teenage daughter Geneviève.

The $7 million French-language film is penned by Ian Lauzon, who co-wrote De père en flic, and is produced by André Dupuy. Film will chronicle the dramatic landing of the Airbus, but will also focus on his time spent at a rehab center for alcohol abuse following that headline-grabbing day and his stint in a maximum-security prison in the U.S. in the ‘80s.

Piché is continually amazed at how many Quebecers still remember that fateful day in August, 2001.

“It’s been eight years since the event happened and people still talk to me,” said Piché, who is still a pilot with Air Transat. “They stop me on the street, they want my autograph. I think the film will help me turn the page and it can become just a memory.”

Piché has collaborated closely with the filmmakers to ensure that the technical aviation details are realistic. They will be shooting scenes in a real Airbus 330, the same plane Piché piloted to a safe landing in the Azores, with the plane provided to the film crew by Air Transat.

Piché: Entre ciel et terre opens wide across Quebec July 7, 2010.

bkelly@thegazette.canwest.com

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertai ... story.html

[CelBatrin]

Just for shits and giggles someone should make a film about the Gimli glider incident, in English, and have it released the same date.

[BlueStar]

CelBatrin there already was a film made about the Gimli glider.

Cheer!!

[Doc]

Well, I most likely wont be too popular for the following but I find it just amazing that two of the bigest foul ups in aviation become the stuff of hero worship and movies. The Gimli glider was a classic of lousy decision making.lack of logical thinking and a total lack of CRM,{fuel gauges U/S, determined to go? }well FILL THE BLOODY WING TANKS! this will give you enough for CYVR and wont result in any perfomance restrictions. Azores, how about using the check list ? {as an Air Canada crew with an identical problem had already done} rather than going from memory and not using the correct check list, the first line of which states in bold "NOT TO BE USED IN THE EVENT OF A LEAK OR LOSS" There is much on Av Canada about forming an organisation of professional pilots, we could start by not following the drivel put out by the media when it comes to such events! Flame away if you wish, CALPA {now ACPA}and myself had a long standing war over this kind of crap, protect the "good old boys" at all cost seems to be the first priority.

A criminal record in the States for dope smuggling? Now, there's a real "hero".
I agree with every word there, Clunk. Maybe the check list was in English?
IMHO, a major contributing factor in the Gimli incident was our government's mandate to ram the metric system down our throats, without ample training of the persons involved.

[CelBatrin]

Oh. Well I guess they can re-release an anniversary edition with enhanced special effects and stuff. Just as long as its on the same date.

[AME 283]

That whole incident was a comedy of errors, the pilot in command should never be allowed to fly again !!!

[AuxBatOn]

IMHO, a major contributing factor in the Gimli incident was our government's mandate to ram the metric system down our throats, without ample training of the persons involved.

I though there was not such things as "Contributing Factors", only pilot @#$! ups

Otherwise, I also agree with Clunkdriver.

[ehbuddy]

Checklist or not............

When you start transfering fuel and it does not remedy the problem then perhaps some basic airmanship should now take over.

Thats my 2 cents worth on this subject..............

[Intentional Left Bank]

http://www.tsb.gc.ca/ENG/rapports-repor ... 5f0001.asp

On 02 January 2005, a Boeing 767-375 aircraft (registration C-FCAG, serial number 24085) operating as Air Canada Flight 092, was on a scheduled flight from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Ontario, to Santiago/Aeropuerto Comodoro Arturo Merino Benitez, Chile, with 144 passengers and a crew of 10. At 1102 Chile daylight time (CLDT), nine hours and 42 minutes after take-off, the aircraft was in cruise flight at flight level (FL) 370 approximately 180 nautical miles (nm) north of Santiago, 60 nm prior to the planned start of descent. At that time, the crew received an engine indicating and crew alerting system (EICAS) warning of low fuel pressure output from both boost pumps in the left main fuel tank, and 45 seconds later the left engine (General Electric CF6-80C2B6 turbofan, serial number 690255) flamed out.

The crew immediately opened the fuel cross-feed valve, declared a Mayday with Santiago radar and began a drift-down descent. As the aircraft descended through FL330, the auxiliary power unit (APU) was started. At approximately FL230, 18 minutes after the engine flamed out, the crew restarted the left engine. The aircraft continued to Santiago with both engines operating and landed without further incident at 1135 CLDT. After landing, the fuel quantity indicating system indicated 4500 kg in the right tank and 800 kg in the left tank. After the engines were shut down, the fuel quantity in the tanks was "drip checked" using measuring sticks and found to be 4700 kg in the right tank and no fuel in the left tank. The left hand fuel quantity indication later blanked out while the aircraft was on the ground in Santiago.

[TG]

Checklist or not............

When you start transfering fuel and it does not remedy the problem then perhaps some basic airmanship should now take over.

I'll second that and that's what they did!
Very basic airmanship actually

[bobrun]

I've seen a renactment/documentary type of film made about that Transat flight. Never thought it would material for a "heroe" movie. It will probably have to be changed a little in order to make it look better...

[Big Pratt]

I find it just amazing that two of the bigest foul ups in aviation become the stuff of hero worship and movies.

Could not agree more with your statement.

If you want true "hero" stuff, airmanship, CRM and all, look no further than the Sioux City DC-10 or the DHL A300 out of Baghdad.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUstvXSytRc


Enough said.

[crazy_aviator]

In order to keep hero status, the Movie will, as usual , play loose with the "truth" and have to omit the FAILURE of the pilots to follow procedure and do their job ,, note a problem, and LAND asap !!!

[CelBatrin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUstvXSytRc

Holy crap!

I'm surprised they didn't shoot at them while on the ground too. Can't ever be too trigger happy with those terrorists.

[ehbuddy]

Checklist or not............

When you start transfering fuel and it does not remedy the problem then perhaps some basic airmanship should now take over.

I'll second that and that's what they did!
Very basic airmanship actually

Well did very basic airmanship take over? As far as I can recall did they not keep transfering fuel until they had totally run out? My point was that when you see you have a fuel imbalance and you start to transfer from wing to another eventually you will start to see a positive result of some form of balance. If the doner side keeps getting lower and the receiving side still keeps getting lower at the same rate or more then you have more than just an imbalance issue.

To start off with a fuel balance issue and then to become a Glider pilot over the Atlantic with a full load of passengers does not warrant the word 'heroes' in my book. How about damn lucky!

[TG]

Basic airmanship 'had to' take over when they run out of fuel (no matter how they ended up in this position)

[ehbuddy]

Basic airmanship 'had to' take over when they run out of fuel (no matter how they ended up in this position)

I will agree with you on this point for sure.............

[dashx]

Mayday - Season One episode 3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transat_Flight_236

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayday_(TV_series)

http://www.discoverychannel.ca/Showpage.aspx?sid=12966

I guess a TV episode is just not good enough sometimes. We need to know more....

I just dont know why........But....

I have a few suggestions for the title for the upcoming movie.....

The Search for Piche or
Undiscovered Piche or
The Wrath of Piche ........

Or they could just go with the book title: Hands on Destiny........

Wonder how that translates into french?

[Widow]

In case anyone is looking for the accident report: http://www.moptc.pt/tempfiles/20060608181643moptc.pdf

[North Shore]

do their job ,, note a problem, and LAND asap !!!

So where, exactly, do you propose that they land in the middle of the Atlantic? The Azores, perhaps?

[fanspeed]

do their job ,, note a problem, and LAND asap !!!

So where, exactly, do you propose that they land in the middle of the Atlantic? The Azores, perhaps?

They could have landed with fuel on board and at least one engine running...they did, however do a nice job after they finished pumping fuel overboard.

[Ogee]

In case anyone is looking for the accident report: http://www.moptc.pt/tempfiles/20060608181643moptc.pdf

Thanks for posting that Widow.

I doubt that any of the ignorant know it alls posting in this thread were, however, "...looking for the accident report". Truth is the last thing you want when you're an inadequate human being trying to inflate your own importance by denigrating people whose underwear you aren't fit to hand wash.

[crazy_aviator]

From the accident report findings , item #12

" Although there were a number of other indications that a significent fuel loss was occuring, the crew did not conclude that a fuel leak situation existed- not actioning the FUEL LEAK procedure was the KEY factor that led to the fuel EXHAUSTION"

( my emphasis) In addition to findings # 8,9,10,11. The aircraft could fly to destination or alternate with 1 engine !!!
In order of importance - Maintenance error #1,,, Pilot ERROR #2 !

[canwhitewolf]

dltd

[dashx]

They stop me on the street, they want my autograph. I think the film will help me turn the page and it can become just a memory

What? Writing a book wasn't enough to make it all just a memory? He needs a movie to make it all just a memory?

the last thing you want when you're an inadequate human being trying to inflate your own importance by denigrating people whose underwear you aren't fit to hand wash

Harsh ... dude.... harsh.....

He did what he had to with what he had and come out on top.

Accident? I think not? Incident is more like it.......