The producers of Tom Cruise's 'American Made' are being sued following a fatal plane crash.
Tom Cruise
The family of one of three victims of the tragic accident that occurred last year during the making of the biopic - in which the 54-year-old actor plays a drug smuggler - has submitted a case of wrongful death against producers Imagine Entertainment in Los Angeles' Superior Court.
The twin engine Aerostar plane crashed approximately 10 minutes after it departed near a jungle in Colombia where they filmed on location and was headed to the city of Medellin in the country's mountainous Antioquia province.
Cruise - who is a trained pilot - was not on board however Berl, who was a co-pilot learning the ropes died alongside a stunt pilot, Alan Purwin, whilst the pilot in command, Jimmy Lee Garland, survived but was left severely injured.
The lawsuit claims the flight was "rushed" and took off over unsuitable terrain, stating : "The terrain over which the Subject Aircraft would fly in order to reach Medillin was unsuitably difficult for such an instructional flight, especially one conducted in a rushed and unscheduled manner in an aircraft with limited flight data and weather instrumentation."
Cruise traveled the same journey through the Andes Mountains via helicopter just 10 minutes earlier and landed safely, according to court papers.
The upcoming blockbuster is based on Barry Seal - the former Trans World Airline pilot - who used to smuggle in drugs to America and other contraband during the 1980s for the CIA and the Medellin Cartel.
Cruise takes the lead role in the movie, set to be released in September 2017.
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