Turbulence (1997) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Ryan Weaver appears to help the passengers because he is horrified by the chaos and death caused by the shootout between Stubbs and the marshals. His initial behavior gains the trust of the remaining passengers and crew. However, this is later revealed to be a manipulation tactic, as Weaver has ulterior motives related to his desire to avoid being arrested and his psychological deterioration under pressure.

• ryan weaver
• passengers
• trust
• manipulation
• shootout

The exact method is not shown on-screen, but Weaver frees himself during the chaos of the shootout between Stubbs and the marshals. During this violent confrontation, Stubbs shoots the last remaining marshal, and Weaver attempts to save him but fails. The distraction and confusion of the shootout provide Weaver with the opportunity to break free from his handcuffs.

• weaver
• restraints
• handcuffs
• escape
• break free

The co-pilot is knocked unconscious when his head slams into the yoke during the initial chaos, disengaging the autopilot. While Weaver enters the cockpit and finds the co-pilot unconscious but breathing, the co-pilot is later heavily implied to have been murdered by Weaver off-screen. This removes the last trained pilot from the aircraft and forces Teri Halloran to take control.

Foreshadowing: The co-pilot is left unconscious in the cockpit early on, making him vulnerable when Weaver takes control.

• co-pilot
• weaver
• murdered
• cockpit
• unconscious

Weaver's paranoia and mental state deteriorate severely as the flight progresses. He locks the passengers in the crew's cabin, and then attacks and strangles Maggie, one of the other flight attendants, to death. This violent outburst represents Weaver's complete breakdown and his transition from a potentially helpful passenger to a dangerous killer acting on his own violent impulses.

Foreshadowing: Weaver's behavior becomes increasingly erratic and paranoid, with nervous breakdowns occurring before the murder.

• weaver
• maggie
• flight attendant
• killed
• strangled
• murder

Weaver breaches the avionics bay and smashes the server running the primary autopilot software. This act forces the first landing attempt to fail, causing a go-around where the plane narrowly misses a rooftop Japanese restaurant and a multi-story parking garage. The backup autopilot eventually engages, allowing Teri to make another landing attempt.

Foreshadowing: Weaver's erratic behavior and desire to prevent the plane from landing suggest he will take action to sabotage the aircraft.

• autopilot
• sabotage
• weaver
• avionics
• bay
• server
• damaged

An Air Force officer at LAX sends an F-14 Tomcat to intercept the 747 because the aircraft is uncontrolled, heading toward populated areas, and Weaver has threatened to crash it into the FBI facility. The military intercept is dispatched as a precaution to potentially destroy the plane if it poses a catastrophic threat to地面 populations, though Teri insists she can land it safely.

Foreshadowing: Weaver threatens to crash the plane into the FBI control center at LAX, raising the stakes to a national security level.

• f-14
• tomcat
• intercept
• military
• los angeles
• threat

During the first landing attempt, the plane's landing gear picks up a Ford Ranger pickup truck. This occurs during the chaotic go-around when the aircraft barely clears a rooftop Japanese restaurant and a multi-story parking garage. The truck becomeslodged on the landing gear, adding to the danger. The F-14's intervention destroys the truck, which actually helps Teri by removing this obstruction.

• truck
• landing gear
• ford ranger
• go-around
• obstruction

Teri Halloran, a flight attendant with no pilot training, manages to land the 747 through a combination of factors: radio guidance from air traffic control, her calm decision-making under extreme pressure, and using the backup autopilot for support. After killing Weaver with a .38 revolver during his final axe attack, she returns to the pilot's seat and executes a careful final approach, landing safely at LAX with all surviving passengers and crew.

Foreshadowing: Teri is established as the only one left capable of keeping the 747 from crashing after the flight crew is compromised.

• teri halloran
• land
• 747
• autopilot
• radio
• guidance
• lax

The plane enters a dangerous storm en route to Los Angeles that threatens severe turbulence. The storm creates extreme weather conditions that the damaged aircraft must navigate through. The turbulence is significant enough to require the passengers and crew to brace for danger, adding another life-threatening element to the already compromised flight.

• turbulence
• storm
• weather
• dangerous
• plane
• flight

Ryan Weaver calls Hines at the FBI control center at LAX and threatens to crash the 747 into their facility because he is determined to avoid being arrested. Despite being accused of murder and rape, Weaver has consistently claimed his innocence, but he is willing to commit mass murder to prevent himself from being taken into custody and facing trial.

• weaver
• fbi
• threat
• crash
• arrest
• Hines

The four U.S. marshals escorting Weaver and Stubbs are killed during the shootout that begins when Stubbs breaks free in the bathroom. The violent confrontation results in multiple casualties among the law enforcement officers. Stubbs himself is also shot and killed during the exchange, leaving Weaver as the last remaining threat aboard the aircraft.

• marshals
• stubbs
• shootout
• killed
• dead

During Weaver's final axe attack on the cockpit, Teri retrieves a .38 revolver. Under extreme duress and in the midst of Weaver's assault, she manages to load a single bullet into the revolver and shoots Weaver through the head, killing him instantly. This act occurs just as the F-14 destroys the trucklodged on the landing gear, which shakes the plane and gives Teri the brief window she needs to defend herself.

Foreshadowing: The F-14's intervention creates a critical distraction that allows Teri to gain the upper hand.

• teri
• weaver
• axe
• revolver
• shoot
• killed
• defend