Say They Are Unfairly Shown As The Antagonists In The Film

Most moviemaking requires some kind of conflict to hold an audience, but some current and former NTSB investigators say that director Clint Eastwood took too much artistic license to create dramatic tension in his soon-to-be-released movie "Sully" about the "Miracle on the Hudson".

We all know the story, and its happy ending. And it's also no secret that the NTSB not only exonerated Capt. Chesley Sullenberger and First Officer Jeff Skiles in the accident, they were praised for their quick actions that saved all 155 people on board the A320 when it was ditched in the river.

But according to a report appearing on Quartz online, in the movie, the NTSB is apparently portrayed as being adversarial with Sullenberger during its investigation, saying he could have landed the airliner at a nearby airport. However, in simulations conducted by the NTSB, that outcome was only achieved eight out of 15 times, and that did not take the pilot's reaction into account.

Robert Benson, who led the NTSB’s investigation into the accident, told CBS news that the board is "the guys with the white hats on." Some with connections to the board feel that the public may get the wrong impression about how the investigation was conducted. Viewers may leave the film with the impression that the Board was acting as prosecutors looking for a way to blame Sullenberger and Skiles for the accident.

Sullenberger has reportedly said that the film accurately depicts how he felt during the investigation, as well as the intense media and bureaucratic scrutiny that came after the accident.

Film producer Allyn Stewart told Quartz that the movie is not a documentary, and that it it tells a truthful story from the perspective of the flight deck crew.

(Image from movie trailer posted on YouTube)

FMI: Trailer