SST: Death Flight

SST Death Flight (aka SST: Disaster in the Sky) is a 1977 made-for-TV movie produced by ABC Circle Films. It featured an all-star television cast and was directed by David Lowell Rich, who went on to direct The Concorde ... Airport '79. The film capitalizes on the smorgasbord of 1970s aircraft disaster films, this time with a supersonic transport aircraft that is refused permission to land due to the threat of spreading a virulent strain of influenza.

The film premiered on February 25, 1977 on ABC and went into syndication. It was lampooned in 1989 by the characters of the KTMA broadcast version of Mystery Science Theater 3000. The film is noted for its formulaic plot and its poor production values. For instance, it depicted an American SST as the first of its kind, and used a scale model of what was basically a Concorde with Boeing 747 turbofan engines attached. Other shots were completed using a mock-up of a Boeing 2707, a prototype the company had created when Americans were still pursuing their own SST program.^{[citation needed]}

Plot

It's the maiden flight of America's first supersonic transport. Unfortunately, a disgruntled employee (George Maharis) annoyed with his employer—the designer of the aircraft (Burgess Meredith) -- sabotages the hydraulic system, causing a massive leak of hydraulic fluid in-flight. Subsequent repair attempts by the crew cause an explosive decompression that breaks open a medical shipment of Senegal Flu, and the plane is refused landing rights in Europe. The aircraft eventually tries to divert to Senegal (the only country with experience in dealing with the virus,) However, there is not enough fuel and the pilots are forced to make an emergency landing in a mountain pass killing all on the plane but a few.

Regis Philbin is a TV announcer covering the festivities. The jet is piloted by Robert Reed. Serving on board is steward Billy Crystal. Among the passengers is Bert Convy, playing the airline's publicity man who is having an affair with the model Misty Rowe who is the public face of the new aircraft. Doug McClure plays an ex-pilot who now works for an airline as an aircraft buyer. On boarding the plane he realises the stewardess Tina Louise is an old flame, one he tries to re-ignite. Lorne Greene also stars as the head of the company manufacturing the aircraft. Peter Graves, John de Lancie, Brock Peters, and Robert Ito also star as passengers, with Burgess Meredith, Ric Carrott, Susan Strasberg and George Maharis in co-starring roles.

Also Known As and Various Versions

Over the years, the film has been re-titled various times and numerous versions of it exist.

• Version 1: "Death Flight".

This cut of the film has been screened twice on RTÉ in Ireland in recent years. It has a scene after the take-off sequence which garnered the film an 'MA' programme classification tag by RTE. The scene in question involves Bert Convy and Misty Rowe depicted in the lower galley of the jet where Rowe's character Angela Garland questions Convy's character about whether or not he had a vasectomy. During this scene, Convy's character removes Rowe's dress, exposing her breasts. Another scene just before this one has a slightly alternate take-off where there is a different shot of the plane ascending into the skies used. Instead of it swooping down and leveling off and then the picture going to a fade-out and resuming back to a shot of the plane in the skies, it just climbs directly into the skies and there is no fade-out and no shot of it leveling off. This version was screened after 12 a.m. on RTE.

• Version 2: "SST- Death Flight".

This cut of the film is a re-cut of sorts. It has a take-off sequence consisting of the plane lifting off the ground and leveling off, then a fade-out and the film resumes with a shot of the plane in the skies and the scene with Anne Redding and Paul Whitley meeting on-board the jet. This version of the film was used for the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 showing and is considered by many to be the most 'family-friendly' and daytime television appropriate cut of the film.

• Version 3: "SST Disaster In The Sky".

This is the same cut as Version 2, only the scene of the plane leveling off, followed by a fade-out fade-in is present. The fade-in is accompanied by the shot of the plane ascending along with the footage of the pilots changing altitude, which is present in Version 1, is restored here to the film. The scene of Misty Rowe and Bert Convy in the lower galley has be re-filmed for this version. The same scene is present, only there are no scenes involving nudity, but other than that, it remains exactly the same.

Releasing

The film had its world premiere on ABC as the Friday Night Movie and was screened at 9 p.m. on February 25, 1977. Other release dates for it around the world include: Finland, where it was released on September 3, 1977 and in West Germany on March 30, 1984.

Home Video

The film was released on Home Video in Ireland and The UK in 1982 by an independent film label called Diplomat Video. It's catalogue number was DDV-6. It was also released in Spain on Beta-Max and VHS under the title "Aeropuerto 78 Vuelo-Supersonico". To date, the film has not had a DVD release.

Around The World

These are some of the various titles the film was released under in different Countries:

• "Ameaca no Supersonico". (Brazil). 'Threaten The Supersonic'.
• "Death Flight". (UK & Ireland).
• "Flight Of The Maiden". (Working Title).
• "Kuoleman Lento". (Finland). 'The Death Flight'.
• "New York Parigi Air Sabotage '78". (Italy). 'New York To Paris Air Sabotage '78'.
• "SST Disaster In The Sky". (USA Re-Issue Title).
• "Supersonique En Peril". (Belgian Theatrical Title). 'Supersonic In Peril'.
• "Todesflug". (West Germany). 'Death Flight'.
• "Hava Alani 78". (Turkish Title). 'Air Field 78'.
• "Aeropuerto Infernal". (Chile Title). 'Infernal Airport'.
• "Aeropuerto 78 Vuelo-Supersonico". (Spanish Title). 'Airport 78 Supersonic-Flight'.
• "Air Sabotage 78". (Egyptian Title).
• Some titles are their literal English translations.

External links

• SST: Death Flight at the Internet Movie Database

Mystery Science Theater 3000

• "Mystery Science Theater 3000" SST: Death Flight (TV episode 1989) at the Internet Movie Database
• Episode guide: K13- SST- Death Flight