Airport '77

Wealthy philanthropist Philip Stevens hosts a lavish event by inviting esteemed guests aboard his luxurious Boeing 747-100, known as Stevens Flight 23. Along with the guests, he hopes to reconnect with his estranged daughter and her young son during the flight to his estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

As the flight takes off, Philip carries the burden of a terminal illness, yearning for a chance to mend his family relationships. The presence of priceless artworks on board for an upcoming museum exhibit adds to the luxurious atmosphere but sets the stage for peril.

Unbeknownst to Philip and his guests, the co-pilot, Bob Chambers, leads a group of thieves plotting to hijack the aircraft and steal the priceless artworks. Their sinister plan is set into motion as they prepare for the perfect moment to execute their scheme.

During the flight, Captain Don Gallagher is lured away from the cockpit and incapacitated by a sleeping gas strategically placed before takeoff. With the crew rendered unconscious, Chambers seizes control, steering the plane away from its intended path.

Chambers diverts the aircraft toward a remote island while making it disappear from radar in the notorious Bermuda Triangle. As the plane descends perilously low, it encounters thick fog that severely limits visibility.

Just as the aircraft navigates through the fog, it looms dangerously close to a massive offshore drilling platform. In a desperate attempt to avert catastrophe, Chambers maneuvers the aircraft, but a wing clips the platform's tower, igniting an engine.

After extinguishing the flames, the aircraft faces a critical loss of airspeed, plunging the flight into imminent danger. As the passengers begin to regain consciousness, they are met with the shocking reality that their flight is spiraling out of control.

In a catastrophic turn of events, the aircraft stalls and plummets into the ocean, sinking momentarily before it submerges. The passengers and crew are caught in a fight for survival as the fuselage begins to buckle under the pressure of the water.

Veteran aeronautics expert Joe Patroni joins the rescue effort, informing search teams that the flight is much farther from its intended location than reported. Meanwhile, trapped passengers attempt to signal for help as Captain Gallagher and fellow passenger Martin Wallace make a dangerous decision to escape.

As Gallagher and Wallace attempt to swim to safety, tragedy strikes when a hatch door fails, flooding the cargo hold. Wallace heroically sacrifices himself, drowning in the attempt, while Gallagher manages to surface and activate an emergency beacon.

In response to the emergency beacon, the Navy dispatches the USS Cayuga and other vessels to locate and rescue Gallagher. Stevens arrives by helicopter, coordinating with Patroni to address the potential dangers of the aircraft imploding underwater.

Under Gallagher's command, Navy divers rig flotation balloons to the fuselage to raise the submerged plane. The operation becomes increasingly perilous as a balloon bursts, threatening the aircraft's structural integrity and endangering those on board.

In a climactic moment, a cargo hold door unexpectedly blows open, resulting in catastrophic flooding and the drowning of Chambers, who is trapped below a sofa. The tension mounts as the survivors struggle to stay alive amid the chaos.

Through sheer determination and quick thinking, the remaining passengers begin to evacuate, but Gallagher and Stevens's assistant, Eve, find themselves trapped. They ultimately escape through the upper deck, where they are rescued by a Navy helicopter.

After the ordeal comes to an end, the survivors are taken aboard a rescue vessel. In an emotional moment, Stevens embraces his daughter and grandson, marking a moment of reconciliation amid the chaos, as Gallagher and Eve receive gratitude from the other survivors.