The pilots were killed while filming ‘American Made’ in Colombia in 2015
Purwin wrote to one of the producer the film was the ‘most dangerous project’
The producer also alerted the insurance company of the risks pilots were taking according to the suit
Tom Cruise and director Doug Liman are being partially blamed for a plane crash that killed two pilots on the set of their movie ‘American Made’ in Colombia.
The estates of the victims, Alan Purwin and Carlos Berl, claim Liman and Cruise’s ‘high risk, action packed’ film, along with ‘the demands of filming in Colombia, together with Cruise’s and Liman’s enthusiasm for multiple takes of lavish flying sequences, added hours to every filming day and added days to the schedule.’
According to court documents, obtained by The Blast, Purwin complained to an executive producer just weeks before the 2015 crash, writing that this is ‘the most dangerous project I’ve ever encountered’.
He added that there was one instance that required tremendous skill to ensure ‘TC (Tom Cruise) Caesar and I wouldn’t be coming home in a box.’
Tom Cruise on set of ‘American Made.’ The film required extensive flying and was ‘dangerous’ according to a suit by the families’ of the pilots that were killed in a plane crash during filming
Alan Purwin, 51 and Carlos Berl (pictured) were the men killed in a 2015 plane crash, leading to multiple lawsuits
Alan Purwin
The twin-engine Piper Smith Aerostar 600 went down in foggy conditions in the Andes near Medellin, Colombia. They were not doing stunt work in the small plane when the crash occurred.
Colombia native Berl, 58, and US native Purwin, 51, died in the crash while a third person named Jimmy Lee Garland left without feeling in the lower half of his body.
The executive producer alerted the film’s insurance company as well, writing ‘DL [Director Liman] and TC [Cruise] [are] adding entire scenes and aerial shots on the fly.
‘Had to bring in Uni Safety to help wrangle them. In the last 48 hours this has become the most insane s*** I’ve ever dealt with.’
While Cruise and Liman are not named as defendants in the suit, the families of the aviation professionals say the crash could have been avoided.
They say Cruise himself could have taken over flying responsibilities, calling him ‘a well-qualified pilot very familiar with the Aerostar and the routing.’
The plaintiffs go on to call the fatal flight ‘a spontaneous, rushed, ad hoc mission over unfamiliar terrain, in unfamiliar weather, from a small jungle airstrip.’
Aftermath: The tragic crash occurred September 11, 2015 in Colombia
Producers suing the aviation company that owned the aircraft that crashed during production two years ago, killing two men and injuring a third person, TMZ reported last week.
Cross Creek Pictures sued S&S Aviation, the owners of the felled aircraft, saying in court docs that the company was ‘negligent in failing to properly inspect, repair, maintain and ensure airworthiness,’ leading to the tragedy, the outlet reported.
