Concorde Affair 1979

L.P.A. Flight 820 is sabotaged, forcing a crash-landing in the ocean off Martinique in the Caribbean. The sole survivor is Jean Beneyton, a French hostess aboard the Concorde, who is found by two fishermen but soon pursued by a group of suited corporate agents who arrive by speedboat, making it clear they witnessed the wreck.

In New York City, the American investigative journalist Moses Brody receives a call from his ex-wife, Nicole Brody, who runs a Martinique restaurant and hints at an important story. When Brody reaches Martinique, he discovers that Nicole has died of an apparent heart attack, a loss that devastates him. That evening, as he wanders the town, he is assaulted by a gang of thugs but is saved by a quiet local man named George, who owns a fishing trawler. George explains that Nicole knew something crucial about the crash—the plane apparently landed on a reef nearby—and the two decide to investigate together.

Meanwhile, the scheming Milland and his partner Danker learn of the Concorde’s crash and, with their associate Martinez, begin to orchestrate a cover-up to erase any trace of foul play. The truth behind the catastrophe begins to surface as their intrigue unfolds.

Brody and George witness the crash site and, after donning scuba gear, locate the wreckage of the Concorde buried under about 100 feet of Caribbean water. Inside the submerged fuselage, Brody discovers explosive charges planted by Milland’s henchmen to destroy evidence. When they surface, a gunfight erupts as the henchmen close in aboard a speedboat; George is shot and Brody must dive back under the water to evade capture. He outsmarts the attackers by slipping into an underwater cave, then surfaces, overpowers the remaining assailant, and seizes the speedboat to escape.

Back on land, Brody seeks an official inquiry and visits the American Consul in Martinique, hoping to mount a legitimate investigation. They go to the crash site but find nothing concrete, and the search is eventually called off. Brody claims he saw Jean on a yacht, a detail that complicates the official stance. The Consul hints at deeper political entanglements, suggesting that if he had known it was Brody, he would have kept him off the case due to a scandal involving a Congressman.

Meanwhile, Milland and his team watch footage of the submerged Concorde exploding, learning that Jean Beneyton is alive and being held for a $1 million ransom. A second L.P.A. Concorde, the plane slated to travel from Venezuela to London, prepares for its flight, signaling that the conspiracy spans multiple aircraft and clients.

That evening, Brody boards the henchmen’s boat to rescue Jean and expose the plot. He and Jean manage to escape to the shore, where she is too shaken to recall many details about the crash. The couple then hides among locals and, at dawn, hitch a ride on a banana truck driven by a farmer. Yet Milland’s henchmen, led by Forsythe, soon close in again, and a chase ensues until a construction vehicle cuts them off, buying time for the fugitives.

Onboard the second Concorde, Captain Scott and the crew face a crisis when an engine loses power after a saboteur disables critical systems by tampering with the in-flight environment. The air is affected by a chain of failures as acid-laced food drains the microwave ovens and severs electrical lines, causing a cascade of technical problems. The London air traffic controller tries to coordinate with the plane, and the crew exchanges frantic messages as the navigator, Navigator, reports pressure dropping in the cabin.

Back on the ground, Jean tries to tell the American Consul what happened, but Forsythe’s men return and a tense confrontation erupts, ending with gunfire that kills the henchmen. London control regains contact with the Concorde as Captain Scott descends below 12,000 feet, and the vessel eventually returns to a safe descent. The run toward a runway is cleared, the plane levels at 9,000 feet, and a dramatic, skillful landing follows. Brody breathes a sigh of relief as the crisis appears to have been averted, at least for the moment.

The next day, Milland contacts Brody with a bribe-filled offer after a headline proclaims “Concorde Passengers Saved by Journalist.” Jean entertains thoughts of returning to Paris, and Brody vows to press ahead with the story. He hints at a broader plan to confront the powerful interests behind the conspiracy, telling a friend that he intends to “push a certain Humpty Dumpty off his wall.” The film closes with credits over footage of a Concorde in flight, leaving viewers to ponder the limits of power and the cost of truth.