Fate Is the Hunter

The jet suffers a complete engine failure on take-off. The aircraft executes a desperate belly landing on an open stretch of beach and then careens into a pier, exploding and killing all but one aboard. The survivor is stewardess Martha Webster, who survives the crash but is severely injured and traumatized.

Investigators determine that one engine failed after ingesting a seagull while the other engine appears mechanically sound. The early evidence points to pilot error, since Savage was seen in a bar only hours before the flight. This shifts the investigation toward human error rather than mechanical fault.

Captain Sam C. McBane, Savage's wartime buddy, becomes convinced his friend is innocent and takes the lead in uncovering the truth. He interviews witnesses, studies the flight timeline, and pushes to question the initial conclusions. He sets out to prove that external factors, not pilot error, caused the disaster.

Flashbacks reveal Jack Savage's past, including how he met Sam and the people from his life: his ex-fiancée and his girlfriend Sally Fraser. The vignettes provide context for alibis, relationships, and potential motives that complicate the investigation.

Sally Fraser introduces the idea of fate influencing events and perhaps the crash itself. McBane rejects the notion, insisting on causality and solid evidence.

The pier's demolition was delayed, a decision that ultimately prevented a clean belly-landing. The timing implies external factors rather than pilot error as the root cause.

McBane learns that Savage did not drink at the bar; he had accompanied another war buddy there instead of being alone. This clears Savage of a drinking-related alibi and shifts focus back to the flight's sequence and the environment.

During a press conference, McBane grapples with fate versus coincidence and discusses how chance may have contributed to the tragedy. He struggles to present a coherent explanation to the public.

A controlled re-enactment flight is organized to reproduce the ill-fated journey in exact detail, with McBane at the controls. Webster is urged to board, confronting her post-traumatic stress to re-create cockpit procedures. The exercise aims to test whether the crash could have been caused by factors other than pilot error.

On the test flight, Webster dutifully performs her cockpit responsibilities and serves coffee to McBane, mirroring the original flight. McBane attempts to replicate the flight sequence, including engine management and timing, to test the theory. Every detail is recorded for comparison.

McBane temporarily shuts down the first engine to simulate incapacitation, and the coffee cup spills onto the console, seeping into wiring. The spill causes a radio failure and a false fire warning, threatening the safety of the simulation.

Analysis reveals that both the original and test flights had a functioning second engine; the apparent problems were caused by a coffee-induced short circuit, not an actual engine fire. The false warnings were triggered by the spilled coffee on the console.

McBane restarts the second engine despite the false fire warning, and the plane returns safely to the airfield. Savage is exonerated, and the crash is explained as a cascade of ordinary faults rather than pilot error.