Final Descent

Glen 'Lucky' Singer and Connie Phipps prepare to pilot a Dallas-bound flight for Quest Airlines. They are worried the looming merger could lead to layoffs for both. Connie serves as Lucky's co-pilot while chief pilot George Bouchard watches and urges strict adherence to computerized systems.

During takeoff, an inexperienced pilot in a light aircraft misjudges the runway, colliding with the airliner’s tail. The collision tears the tail and damages the elevators and trim, sending the jet into a dangerous climb. With controls compromised, the engines must run at full throttle to avoid stalling as the plane strains toward a stall.

Lucky conducts a conference call with air traffic control, Gallant engineers, and his old friend Frank O’Hearn. They discuss shifting weight to stabilize the aircraft, but Gallant's simulations say a weight shift would be insufficient. Lucky begins to look for a more drastic solution.

In a lavatory break, Lucky conceives filling the forward wheel well with water to weigh down the nose. Tim leads a team of Canadian riggers who volunteer to help assess and implement the plan. The crew starts weighing the feasibility of using water to counter the nose-up attitude.

The Army dispatches an AH-64 Apache to assess the damage and lend options. Lucky becomes inspired to use the helicopter's 30mm cannon to pierce the elevators, reducing their influence and drag.

Duke, a veteran attack helicopter pilot, confirms the cannon plan could work but warns it cannot fix the malfunction on its own. The crew pursues a combined approach rather than relying on one fix.

Lucky presents the water-filled wheel well plan to Frank, who arranges for a KC-10 tanker to deliver the water. To cope with sub-zero temperatures, a bundle of Arctic gear is attached to the refueling boom to be pulled into the cockpit.

Gallant's chief engineer claims there isn't enough emergency oxygen for everyone and suggests sacrificing older and infirm passengers by diverting oxygen to the front masks. George initially goes along but realizes the claim is a lie, since the system would not require manual valve operation.

Connie temporarily loses consciousness during the operation. With the water insufficient to fix the nose, George stays in the oxygen hold to help pump more, risking asphyxiation while the crew pushes forward.

Lucky retrieves George from the oxygen hold as the nose begins to drop and pushes the plane into a steep dive to reach a lower altitude where more oxygen is available for the passengers.

The retracting refueling hose whips into the cockpit, slamming into the center console and disabling the flight instruments. Air traffic control guides Lucky through a controlled descent as the crew fights to maintain control.

The crew deploys the landing gear and releases the water, but the nose wheel collapses on touchdown. The jet skids to a stop on the runway with no injuries, and Lucky and Connie walk away to greet the grateful passengers.

Lucky proposes marriage to Connie, who accepts, sealing a personal triumph amid the crisis. The passengers' applause on the concourse underscores the improvised triumph against the odds.