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Tom Cruise Blamed For Death Of Pilots During Filming Risky Stunts In ‘American Made’ ‘Most Dangerous Project’

By Jessica Dafoe
Published on: 02:55 PST, Sep 21, 2017

American Made is a film that was shot in 2015 and stars Tom Cruise in its lead role, yet tragic events which occurred during filming of the action flick, have resulted in families of those affected placing blame on the notable Hollywood action star and the film’s director.

As Global News relays, two pilots died in a crash while filming American Made, and loved ones of the two individuals who lost their lives are insisting that Cruise and director Doug Limen are partially to blame. which has resulted in a lawsuit being launched.

The documents for the wrongful death case state that pilots Alan Purwin and Carlos Berl lost their lives when the twin-engine Smith Aerostar 600 they were flying, crashed into the mountains in Colombia during filming. A third pilot, Jimmy Lee Garland, survived the crash, yet no longer has feeling in the lower part of his body.

Documents indicate that blame is being placed on Cruise and Limen due to their need to shoot a “high-risk, action-packed motion picture” and creating the circumstances that led to the tragic crash. Reports of endless days spent filming intricate flying sequences over the Colombian mountains, for the purpose of capturing the perfect footage, meant that the pilots were tired and unable to cope by the time of the crash. The publication notes words stated on the subject in the documents.

“Lapses in planning, coordinating, scheduling, and flight safety that were the Defendants’ responsibility resulted in an unqualified and unprepared pilot being pressed into service for a dangerous flight in a vintage aircraft across an unfamiliar mountain pass in bad weather.”

Although it is the production companies — Imagine Entertainment, Vendian Entertainment, and Cross Creek Pictures — that are named as the actual defendants in the suit, Cruise and Limen are named as being negligent for allowing the flights to take place without the appropriate safety procedures being followed.

In addition, following filming, one of the producers had actually sent in a complaint to the insurance company about Doug Limen and Tom Cruise’s behavior while on set, regarding insisting on “shots on the fly.”

“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**t I’ve ever dealt with,” the producer complained in 2016.

Also included in the wrongful death suit, is an email sent by Purwin prior to his death, within which he described American Made as “the most dangerous project I’ve ever encountered. You have no idea the exposure TC and the entire Aerial Team is realizing every time we get in the air. There’s a very ‘thin line’ between keeping all aerial activities safe and having an accident. Trust me on this!”

Tom Cruise is known for his daring stunts while filming action flicks. The actor insists on completing his own stunts and recently injured himself while filming the latest installment for the Mission Impossible franchise, as the Daily Mail reminds. Neither Tom Cruise, nor the film’s studio, has commented on the wrongful death suit.

[Featured Image By Jamie McCarthy /Getty Images]

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