Fugitive in the Sky

Air hostess Rita Moore chats with her suitor, Terry Brewer, as passengers check in for a flight to New York. Brewer suspects federal agent Mike Phelan is traveling incognito and plans to keep an eye on him. He phones his editor to get permission to board the Ford Trimotor, despite pilot Bob White's annoyance.

During a layover in Albuquerque, Katie Tristo buys an Indian-made dagger from a souvenir stand. The dagger seems like an odd detail among the ordinary travel essentials. The stage is set for a later, deadly use.

Between Albuquerque and Kansas City, the dagger is used to murder Ramon Duval. Most passengers are dozing when the crime is discovered, and the killer's identity remains unclear. The mood aboard the plane shifts from ordinary travel to a deadly mystery.

After the murder is detected, Phelan reveals his true identity and attempts to take charge. A female passenger draws a gun, disarms and handcuffs Phelan, and hijacks the aircraft, turning the flight into a crisis situation.

Following the hijack, the hijacker's ally is exposed: the man in disguise is revealed as Killer Madsen. The situation tightens as passengers realize a true killer is among them.

The hijacker orders the pilots to head toward Evansville, Indiana, after the radio transmitter is disabled. Brewer uses the opportunity to interview Madsen as the tense flight continues toward its new destination.

Rita tries to drug Madsen by poisoning his coffee, but the attempt backfires, and she ends up knocking out copilot Johnny Martin instead. The passengers remain under the threat of the hijacker's control.

A dust storm arises and the aircraft must land. Madsen leaves the plane and commandeers an elderly couple's nearby farmhouse as a hostage haven, bringing the group of passengers into a rural standoff.

The others locate the same house and are taken hostage again, deepening the sense of danger and isolation with no immediate means of escape or communication.

Brewer helps repair the aircraft's radio and calls the police, also filing his news story about the abduction. The group remains cautious, and the suspense continues as law enforcement gets closer.

While waiting, the group studies anaglyph 3-D photos with a stereoscope. Rita realizes Katie Dorne looks younger through the red lens, and Phelan recognizes her as the second fugitive.

Rita arms herself to confront Madsen; he uses Brewer as a shield and shoots White, but Brewer overpowers him. Phelan arrives, cuffs Madsen, and also arrests Dorne for murdering Duval; the two had stolen bonds, with Dorne killing Duval to take them.

White assists with a smile as Brewer proposes to Rita; the couple boards the aircraft again and shares a kiss, signaling a hopeful conclusion to the harrowing ordeal as the flight continues.