Cruise flew same path across Colombian Andes before crash
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Actor Tom Cruise flew in a helicopter across the Colombian Andes just 10 minutes before a small plane on the same dangerous flight path crashed into a jungled mountain, killing two crew members from his upcoming movie, civil aviation authorities said.
An official with the aviation agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the matter, said the cause of the crash Friday that killed two people and seriously injured a third is still under investigation.
A plane overhead located the downed aircraft just below a high ridge thanks to a distress signal, allowing rescuers to arrive to the crash site quickly and rush Garland to a hospital in Medellin, where he was in critical but stable condition.
A representative at the Cherokee County Airport, who declined to be identified out of respect for her boss' privacy, told The Associated Press that the producers of "Mena" shot several flight scenes at the facility and were so impressed with Garland's professionalism as a flying double for Cruise that they brought him to Colombia to continue filming there.
Cruise's spokeswoman, Amanda Lundberg, had no comment on Friday's accident and the film's director Doug Liman as well as local and US-based producers did not reply to emails and phone calls seeking comment.
On the company's website, he's described as one of the top film pilots of his generation with a list of credits from television and major Hollywood movies such as Transformers, ''Pearl Harbor and Pirates of the Caribbean.