Hollywood Helicopter Pilot Killed Working On Upcoming Movie "Mena"

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Hollywood Helicopter Pilot Killed Working On Upcoming Movie "Mena"

September 14, 2015 - On Friday, a well-known Hollywood stunt helicopter pilot, Alan Purwin was killed in a plane crash in Colombia, South America while on a movie shoot for an upcoming movie called Mena starring Tom Cruise.

Onboard the twin engine Piper Aerostar (N164HH) were the pilot, Jimmy Lee Garland, Carlos Berl and Purwin who were passengers. The aircraft had departed Santa Fe de Antioquia Airport for the 10 minute flight to Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín.

It was reported the aircraft crashed about 5:30 PM as a result of bad weather. At this time the only survivor of the crash is Jimmy Lee Garland who was taken to a local hospital and is in serious condition.

According to officials, the flight would have been a very tricky landing due to the weather conditions and the required maneuver to land at the airport. It would require the pilot to make a high altitude steep descent over the Andes mountain range and down into a valley.

Purwin was well know and loved by the Hollywood movie industry. Purwin had provided aerial cinematography and worked on hundreds of Hollywood movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Pearl Harbor and the film series the Transformers.

The Piper Aerostar is the aircraft that Tom Cruise is filmed in piloting the aircraft in this upcoming film, Mena which is expected to be released January 2017. The film is about a former TWA pilot, Barry Seal who became a drug smuggler Medellín Cartel in the 80's who later was recruited by the DEA.