Jesse Metcalfe Starring in New Movie Premiering in April

Heavy/Getty Jesse Metcalfe is starring in a new movie.

Hallmark star Jesse Metcalfe hasn’t been seen on the network recently. But he has a new movie premiering for a different network in April that his fans will likely enjoy watching. It’s a faith-based movie about a harrowing real-life ordeal.

He Stars in the Movie, ‘On a Wing & a Prayer,’ With Dennis Quaid

Metcalfe’s new faith-based movie will begin streaming on Amazon Prime Video on April 7. It’s called “On a Wing and a Prayer,” he shared in an Instagram post.

Metcalfe wrote that the movie is “an extraordinary true story of faith and survival.”

Also starring in the movie are Dennis Quaid (Doug White), Heather Graham, Anna Enger Ritch (Ashley), Brandon Quinn (Ellis Ross), Rachael Markarian (Linda), Brett Rice (Jeff White), Rocky Myers (Dan Favio), Selena Anduze (Lisa Grimm), and more.

The synopsis reads: “After their pilot dies unexpectedly mid-flight, Doug White’s (Dennis Quaid) has to safely land a plane and save his entire family from insurmountable danger.”

When the movie was first announced in 2021, Variety reported that the movie is being produced by MGM’s Lightworkers, which also created a contemporary adaptation of “Ben-Hur.”

The Harrowing Incident Happened in 2009

In April 2009, Dough White (then 56) was flying on a private chartered flight after attending his brother’s funeral, CNN reported. They were flying from Florida to Louisiana, and about 10 minutes after takeoff, the pilot died. White was on the plane with his wife and two daughters.

White spoke to the control tower over the radio after the pilot went unconscious, letting them know he needed help flying and getting to the ground. He had taken only three months of flight lessons, and those were in single-engine planes.

CNN reported that White was flying a Super King Air two-engine turboprop. He was at 9,000 feet and climbing when the pilot fell unconscious. Two air traffic controllers worked with him, advising him on how to disengage the autopilot and what to do at each step.

White was able to shut off the autopilot at about 17,000 feet, AOPA reported. At first, the deceased pilot’s leg blocked him from being able to descend the plane and he had to move his leg. He was finally able to descend to 11,000 feet.

He tried re-engaging the autopilot at one point, but then it just started turning to a different heading. “I’m just going to hand fly,” he told AOPA that he decided at that point.

When the plane was turned over to the airport’s air traffic controllers, one called a flight instructor friend who worked with King Air airplanes — Kari Sorenson, CNN reported. That friend helped walk White through each step, including which switches and knobs to turn.

White said he had to ignore alarms and buzzers and just concentrate on airspeed and keeping the wings level, AOPA reported. White said his landing was one of the best he’d ever done.

“It didn’t jump or skip,” he told AOPA. “It just set down and stopped in 3,500 feet or less. I asked which taxiway they wanted me to use.”

Sorenson later told CNN that he only shared the most critical information, so as not to overwhelm White. He added: “Doug learned to fly that plane in 20 minutes. I don’t think you could have made the plane more complex or the pilot less experienced and have had a successful landing.”

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