Two crew members, including a well-known Hollywood stunt pilot, have been killed in a light plane crash in Colombia after wrapping work on the Tom Cruise drug drama Mena.
Their plane went down in foggy conditions in the Andes. The two dead have been identified as American Alan D. Purwin and Venezuelan Carlos Berl. A third man, Jimmy Lee Garland, is said to have survived.
It is unclear at this point who was at the controls.
Tom Cruise and director Doug Liman have not yet made official statements, but are said to be “shaken up” by the tragedy, but distributor Universal Pictures have since released a statement, saying:
“An aircraft carrying crew members crashed while returning to Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellin following production wrap on the film Mena resulting in two fatalities … On behalf of the production, our hearts and prayers go out to the crew members and their families at this difficult time.”
Purwin, who posted the below Instagram picture from the set, leaves behind a long legacy in film, having appeared in cameo roles as a pilot in the likes of Jurassic World, Zero Dark Thirty and Indecent Proposal.
Steve Gatena, CEO of Purwin’s company Shotover, added to the tributes, saying:
“Alan was both a pioneer in the film industry and committed philanthropist. His legacy includes many feats such as conducting the first vital organ transplant mission in Los Angeles, supporting the first response rescue efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and being the only American Hollywood movie pilot to fly throughout the People’s Republic of China.”
R.I.P.
Mena follows the story of a drug smuggler for the Medellin cartel who becomes a DEA drug informant.
via Deadline
Image via Instagram
Image via Instagram
