Why Did the Plane Crash in Cast Away?

The 2000 film Cast Away is a riveting tale of a man stranded on a deserted island with nothing but his wits and will to survive. Director Robert Zemeckis lays out the evolution of Tom Hanks' character as he reaches the beach, lost and confused, and leaves it determined and hopeful. It helped the film become a critical and commercial hit, as well as scoring an Oscar nomination for Hanks in one of the better roles of his career. The film even created a small but notable pop-culture icon, Wilson, the volleyball Hanks' character anthropomorphizes to fend off loneliness.

Hanks' Chuck Noland is a FedEx systems engineer devoted to his job and delivering packages on time. However, just before the holidays, he takes a last-minute trip to Malaysia that ends in disaster. While flying through a storm, something happens that causes the plane to crash, leaving Noland as the sole survivor. Even though he survives, the real trick is to continue living on the island he washes ashore. However, while his journey is detailed throughout the film, the cause of the plane crash that strands him is left ambiguous. What happened to the FedEx plane? The film is told almost entirely from Noland's point of view, and he himself is uncertain what happened besides the fact that it ​​​​​​goes down. The other details require a little sleuthing to spot.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on May 25, 2024:Almost twenty-five years after its release,Cast Away remains an important part of Tom Hanks's and Robert Zemeckis's shared filmography. This article has been updated with additional info from the film and to meet CBR's updated formatting guidelines.

What Caused the Plane Crash in Cast Away?

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The crash in Cast Away is abrupt to both Tom Hanks's Chuck Noland and the audience. He's seen in the bathroom removing a bandage before a bang decompresses the cabin. The plane entered a violent storm and encountered turbulence, which didn't initially concern him. It's a key moment because it helps the audience identify with him more closely. Most people have been on an airplane when it hits a little turbulence and are invariably informed that it's nothing to worry about.

Noland is no different and even chats amiably with the pilots for a bit before it becomes apparent that something more serious is wrong. Communications have gone down, and the plane is some 200 miles off-course. Noland goes into the bathroom rather than buckling up as the pilots tell him. Shortly thereafter, the plane runs into a serious problem, leaving him to hold on for dear life. It's generally believed the storm caused the accident because the pilots are seemingly lost and without communication.

It makes for a key plot point because it means Noland is unlikely to be rescued if he remains on the island. Although it doesn't happen as often as it used to, plane accidents due to storms still occur, and it's not beyond reason to assume the same happens to Noland. Furthermore, he's sufficiently confused, and the conditions are sufficiently chaotic to hide the true cause. Regardless of the cause, Noland's life is in peril, and he's left stranded with little hope of anyone coming for him. The reason — storm or otherwise — is superfluous to his circumstances.

Mislabeled Materials Caused the Plane Crash in Cast Away

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However, following Noland's rescue, his ex-wife Kelly explained the storm had nothing to do with the accident. Instead, it was likely caused by potentially mislabeled hazardous material in the cargo hold. While the explanation seems as outlandish as flying through a storm, multiple clues are given throughout the crash scene to help confirm Kelly's explanation. The first occurs right before Chuck's life is turned upside down.

While in the bathroom, audiences hear a bang just before the cabin depressurizes. Although the focus is on Chuck, who is scared and confused about what's happening, it's essential to hear what the pilots say as one reaches Chuck. In the background, one of the pilots yells, "explosion!" Seconds later, he also says a partially muffled line that sounds like "somewhere in the hold," potentially discussing the origins of the accident. This is further justified when Hanks escapes the plane and stares at the plane's wreckage as it sinks.

There's a massive fire and explosion that, while possible due to an engine, is more likely fromhazardous materials. It would also result in the decompression the plane experiences while sending it crashing into the sea. The explanation is particularly interesting for off-camera reasons. FedEx is a major corporation. Its business is connected to its ability to get anything anywhere in the world safely and swiftly. If the film's fictional plane crash comes down to the company mishandling a package or carrying unsafe materials — however inadvertently — it strongly suggests that they're not as safe and reliable as they claim.

Nonetheless, FedEx agreed to put its name and logo on the film, either because they felt the free publicity was worth it (the FedEx logo is front and center much of the time) or because they felt audiences wouldn't associate the company with a fictional plane crash, or because Noland's status as a dedicated and efficient employee offset the negative implications. Whatever the reason, the gamble paid off since the film has aged well and gives the company long-term visibility. But it's enough to leave media-savvy viewers looking to the storm as an explanation rather than a fatal in-universe mistake from FedEx.

Cast Away Uses the Storm as Symbolism

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One of the big reasons the storm looms so large in people's minds is the potent (and overt) symbolism it holds. While the cause of the explosion turns out to be something different, the storm itself is a spot-on representation of a sudden cataclysm.It stresses one of Cast Away's big points: thatthe comforts of civilization breed complacency, and modern lives can still fall into dire peril through happenstance and fate.

That feeds into another of the film's central themes about how unexpected situations can define a person for the rest of their life. It also reveals to Noland how important it is to live in the moment and to appreciate small victories, such as his successful creation of fire on the island and the one FedEx package he leaves unopened (and ultimately delivers to its intended recipient).

In light of that, the cause of the crash remains irrelevant. Cast Away isn't meant to explore the mysteries of why Noland ends up in his situation. Indeed, had he known for sure why the plane crashed, it would have diminished his experiences on the island and reduced the impact of his slow evolution into a self-sufficient survivor over the next four years. To some extent, the mystery stays with him all that time, leaving him to wonder what happened and find a zen-like peace in understanding that it really doesn't matter.

That being said, for a good story, it's important to give audiences an explanation for certain events. So rather than spend too much time on it, Cast Away puts viewers in Chuck's shoes and provides only information he would hear, leaving the crash loosely ambiguous. That allows the audience to better identify with him as he struggles to survive on the island. The explanation becomes secondary to that journey, and Cast Away is willing to chance a little viewer uncertainty to focus on the protagonist. It arrives organically as part of the story, making it easy to overlook amid the viewers' focus on Noland. In that sense, the obscurity of the explanation for the plane crash proves how well Cast Away adheres to its purpose.

How Does Tom Hanks Escape The Island In Cast Away?

Thankfully, the survival film doesn't end on a note of tragedy but rather a triumph. After four years of isolation, Tom Hanks's Chuck Noland finally manages to escape the island. After discovering a piece of a destroyed porta-potty on the shore, Chuck fashions a makeshift raftand embarks on a daring voyage. Knowing that his best chance at survival is to leave the island, Chuck braves the open waters and sails with his good friend, the volleyball Wilson, toward salvation. However, he is caught in yet another storm, which knocks him into the churning waters.

Without any recourse, Chuck falls victim to the raging sea, losing Wilson in the process. Unable to save his "friend," Chuck is alone in the world once more. However, in a positive twist of fate, Chuck is reduced by a passing cargo ship, which brings him back to civilization. At long last, Chuck's long trial is ended and he returns to his family and friends.

Cast Away

A FedEx executive undergoes a physical and emotional transformation after crash landing on a deserted island.

Release DateDecember 20, 2000

DirectorRobert Zemeckis

CastPaul Sanchez, Helen Hunt, Tom Hanks, Nick Searcy

RatingPG-13

Runtime143 minutes

Main GenreAdventure

GenresDrama, Romance, Adventure

Studio20th Century Fox

TaglineAt the edge of the world, his journey begins...

Box Office$429.6 million

Awards Won2001 Critics Choice Awards, 2001 Golden Globe Awards, 2002 Grammy Awards

Filming LocationsMonuriki, Fiji Islands

Budget$90 million

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