20 Best Movies And Shows Based On Flight Disasters And Crash Survival

20. Manifest (2018–2023)

When Montego Air Flight 828 lands five years after takeoff, its passengers haven’t aged a day but the world has. ‘Manifest’ weaves eerie phenomena, government coverups, and haunting callings into a supernatural thriller that blurs science fiction and spiritual destiny. As the passengers try to piece their lives back together, fate has other plans.

19. The One (2022)

In the unforgiving wilderness of the Soviet Far East, a young woman defies the odds in a tale of unimaginable survival. Based on the harrowing true story of Larisa Savitskaya, Russian film, ’The One,’ recounts the her journey as the sole survivor of the 1981 Aeroflot Flight 811 disaster. She plummeted over 5 kilometers into the dense taiga after the mid-air collision between a civilian Antonov An-24 and a military Tupolev. Larisa battled the elements, hunger, and a relentless tiger, all while clinging to the hope of finding her husband.

18. Emergence (2019–2020)

A young girl is the only survivor of a mysterious plane crash, but she’s no ordinary child. ‘Emergence’ descends into a shadowy conspiracy where tech meets the supernatural. As a small-town police chief protects her, they unravel a puzzle darker than anyone could imagine. The wreckage is just the beginning and what survived isn’t human.

14. The Mountain Between Us (2017)

After a charter plane crash strands two strangers in an unforgiving wilderness, survival becomes a brutal dance of grit, hope, and human connection. ‘The Mountain Between Us’ is as much a physical odyssey as it is an emotional one. With nature closing in, love becomes both salvation and the cruelest mirage.

13. The Grey (2011)

This is Liam Neeson versus the Arctic. Following a harrowing crash, oil workers must endure not only hypothermia and hunger, but a relentless pack of wolves circling the wreckage. ‘The Grey’ is about survival, sure, but it’s also a primal scream into the void. Each breath is a challenge, each step a dare. Man vs. beast. Man vs. himself.

12. Flight 29 Down (2005–2007)

Think ‘Lost’ for teens, but don’t underestimate the show. Here is a group of high school students stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashes during a school trip. ‘Flight 29 Down’ explores leadership, fear, and growing up when survival becomes your only homework. Drama, danger, and decisions—every episode tightens the tension.

11. United 93 (2006)

A haunting, real-time reenactment of the doomed flight on September 11th. ‘United 93’ honors the bravery of passengers who fought back against hijackers with chilling, near-documentary realism. There's no Hollywood gloss here, it’s just raw humanity in its final, defiant hour. A tribute, a tragedy, and a real testament to courage.

10. Flight of the Phoenix (1965)

‘Flight of the Phoenix’ is survival engineering at its most desperate. The plot thrusts us into a sand-choked desert. There’s a shattered aircraft and one mad idea: build a new plane from the wreckage. With desperation simmering between castaways, leadership falters and hope hangs on wings not yet built. Adapt or die becomes the only law.

9. Yellowjackets (2021–Present)


When a girls' soccer team’s plane crashes in the wilderness, the survivors descend into chaos, cannibalism, and cultish madness. Told in dual timelines, ‘Yellowjackets’ is a feral mix of trauma, secrets, and supernatural undertones. It’s basically ‘Lord of the Flies’ with teenage rage and adult reckoning. What happened out there never really stayed there, it came back to haunt everyone.

8. The Edge
(1997)

A billionaire, a photographer, and a plane crash in bear country. ‘The Edge’ pits man against wilderness, beast, and betrayal. As the surviving duo face freezing nights and a stalking grizzly, seeing another day becomes a psychological war. Alec Baldwin and Anthony Hopkins bring primal ferocity to a story where intellect may be the only weapon sharper than claws.

7. Alive (1993)

This devastating true story of the Uruguayan rugby team trapped in the Andes is almost unbearable in its realism. Forced to eat the dead to survive, ‘Alive’ is not just a survival film, it’s a meditation on what makes us human when humanity seems lost. Bone-chilling and unforgettable, this is the human spirit stripped to its rawest.

6. The Wilds (2020–2022)

A group of teenage girls crash on a remote island, but it’s no accident. ‘The Wilds’ blends psychological thriller with social experiment as layers of lies and manipulation are peeled back. What begins as a fight for survival becomes a fight for identity, agency, and truth. The wildest thing isn’t nature, it’s the people who put them there.

5. Sully (2016)

Based on the “Miracle on the Hudson,” ‘Sully’ follows Captain Chesley Sullenberger’s heroic landing of US Airways Flight 1549 and the bureaucratic fallout that followed. Tom Hanks delivers quiet strength in a story that celebrates the ability to remain calm under pressure. It wasn’t just the birds that brought the plane down, it was the system that tried to break the man who saved it.


4. Flight (2012)

‘Flight’ is a harrowing dive into addiction, guilt, and responsibility. Denzel Washington is electric as a pilot who saves hundreds while battling his own inner demons on the job. The crash sequence is heart-stopping, but it’s the moral crash afterward that’s even more devastating. This isn’t just about pulling up in time, it’s about falling with dignity.

3. Lost (2004–2010)

‘Lost’ is the mother of all survival shows. When Oceanic Flight 815 crashes, its survivors land on a mystical island filled with smoke monsters, secret bunkers, and a time-bending mythology. The series redefined TV with its deeply human characters, compelling mysteries, and emotional storytelling. Survival was only the start—this island demanded souls.

2. Cast Away (2000)

A FedEx systems analyst ends up stranded on a deserted island after a horrific crash. ‘Cast Away’ strips everything away but the will to live and a volleyball named Wilson. Tom Hanks gives a gut-wrenching performance in a film about solitude, time, and the painful hope of rescue. Survival here is as much spiritual as it is physical.

1. Society of the Snow (2023)

This heartrending, soul-crushing retelling of the 1972 Andes disaster is a masterclass in tension and humanity. Based on the same events as ‘Alive,’ but this film is rawer, more immersive, and painfully honest. ‘Society of the Snow’ shows survival not as triumph, but as burden. Every bite, every breath, is drenched in guilt and in the will to honor the dead.