Listen up, folks. The families of two pilots who tragically lost their lives during the filming of Tom Cruise’s blockbuster movie American Made are pointing fingers directly at the star. Alan Purwin and Carlos Berl didn’t survive the crash of their twin-engine Piper Smith Aerostar 600, while Jimmy Lee Garland, another pilot involved, now faces life without feeling in his lower body. This isn’t just another Hollywood story—it’s a complex tale of ambition, risk, and tragedy.

What Happened That Day?

Let’s break it down. On that fateful day in Colombia, the production team was in the middle of filming some high-octane flying sequences for American Made. The families of Purwin and Berl, according to court documents obtained by The Blast, believe Tom Cruise and director Doug Liman were pushing for an action-packed film that prioritized spectacle over safety. The pressure to deliver thrilling aerial sequences, they claim, created a dangerous environment that ultimately led to the crash.

High Demands on Set

According to these documents, the relentless pursuit of perfection added hours to each filming day and days to the overall schedule. “The demands of filming in Colombia, combined with Tom Cruise and director Doug Liman’s enthusiasm for multiple takes of lavish flying sequences, created an unsustainable workload,” the documents state. It’s not just about the hours; it’s about the toll it takes on everyone involved, including the pilots who were expected to perform under extreme conditions.

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Here’s Tom visiting an Air Force base back in 2001. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Cutting Corners for Time and Money?

The families also allege that the production companies were cutting corners to save time and money, which ultimately compromised safety. The court documents reveal lapses in planning, coordination, scheduling, and flight safety. “Unqualified and unprepared pilots were pressed into service for dangerous flights in vintage aircraft across unfamiliar mountain passes in bad weather,” the documents claim. This is not just about negligence—it’s about a systemic failure that put lives at risk.

Now, here’s the kicker: Tom Cruise, who’s 55, and Doug Liman, 52, haven’t been named as defendants in the lawsuit. However, the families argue that both men were negligent in allowing the flight to take place under such perilous conditions. They even suggest that Tom, a well-qualified pilot with extensive experience with the Aerostar and its routing, could have flown the plane himself. But why didn’t he? That’s the question everyone’s asking.

Executive Producer Sounds the Alarm

According to the lawsuit filed against the film’s producers—Imagine Entertainment, Vendian Entertainment, and Cross Creek Pictures—an executive producer sent a formal complaint to the insurance company about Tom and Doug. The complaint reads, “Doug Liman and Tom Cruise are adding entire scenes and aerial shots on the fly. Had to bring in Uni Safety to help wrangle them. In the last 48 hours, this has become the most insane s–t I’ve ever dealt with.” This is a stark reminder of the chaos and unpredictability that can sometimes accompany big-budget productions.

In a separate email to the same executive producer, Alan Purwin described the film as “the most dangerous project” he’d ever worked on. He wrote, “You have no idea the exposure [Tom] and the entire Aerial Team is realizing every time we get in the air. There’s a very ‘thin line’ between keeping all aerial activities safe and having an accident. Trust me on this!” Despite these warnings, the Hollywood duo hasn’t commented publicly on the matter.

This story originally appeared on our sister site, Now to Love.