In December 1978, Jay Prochnow, a retired U.S. Navy pilot, was ferrying a crop duster from the United States to Australia. During the leg from Pago Pago to Norfolk Island, his automatic direction finder (ADF) malfunctioned. After 14 hours in the air, he realized he was lost over the open ocean with no land in sight. An Unlikely Savior
While the movie captures the intense drama, there are a few notable differences from the actual 1978 event: Mercy Mission: The Rescue of Flight 771 - Variety Mercy Mission: The Rescue of Flight 771
His only hope came in the form of (fictionalized as Flight 771/308 in the movie), a DC-10 en route from Fiji to Auckland. Captain Gordon Vette , a veteran pilot and expert navigator, heard Prochnow’s SOS. In December 1978, Jay Prochnow, a retired U