Plot Summary
Investigative reporter Nicola Wilson is determined to find out why a jet headed from South America to Paris disappeared in the Atlantic, taking her close friend and 211 other passengers with it. How can a plane just disappear? As Nicola digs deeper and deeper into this mystery, she puts her job, friends and very livelihood on the the line. Even though she knows nothing about aviation, refuses to fly and doesn't speak French, Nicola quickly uncovers astonishing details about the missing flight. Was it preventable? Has it happened before? Could it happen again? And was it PILOT ERROR?

Filming

Principal photography commended Ju in Muskegon, Michigan. The film was shot on location in Muskegon, Whitehall, Montague, Spring Lake, Grand Haven, Saugatuck, Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Portage, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Willow Run Michigan as well as Milwaukee and Paris. Airport scenes were shot at the Muskegon, Kent County, and Willow Run airports as well as the General Mitchell Airport in Milwaukee. The cinematographer was David Darling with assistant cinematographer Bruce Schermer.

Release:
Pilot Error premiered at the AirZoo in Portage, Michigan.

Cast
Star Kate Thomsen (Nicola Wilson):
Pilot Error is the screen debut of Kate Thomsen who grew up in Michigan. She won the coveted Irene Ryan award for her performance as Desdemona (with Larry Herron who also appears in Pilot Error) at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. during her senior year at Western Michigan University. After completing her MFA at the University of California, Irvine, she returned to Michigan where she has performed on numerous stages, most recently the Hope Summer Repertory Theater and Farmer's Alley. She teaches theater at Western Michigan University and lives with her husband Travis, a middle school principal, and their two children Elle and Sullivan. Kate has also worked in the Shakespeare Behind Bars program at the Ernest C. Brooks Correctional Facility in Muskegon, Michigan.

Robert Cicchini (Philippe Bernard)

Veteran film, television and stage actor, Robert Cicchini directed and costarred in Waterwalk (2012), also produced and cowritten by Roger Rapoport in Michigan. Known for his roles in Godfather III, War of the Worlds, Fame, California Solo and Light Sleeper, His television credits include Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, A Civil Action, The Mentalist and Everybody Hates Chris. Cicchini was lauded for his Los Angeles performance in the 2013 Skylight Theater production of Open House.

Richard Riehle (Roy Grimm)

Known for his work in such films as Office Space, The Fugitive, Glory, Casino, Free Willy and tv shows like Ground for Life, Richard Riehle grew up in Wisconsin and had a successful stage career in the midwest before moving to Hollywood. The turtle hunter in Waterwalk, Riehle has also recently appeared in Transformers, Bridesmaids, Two and A Half Men and Bridesmaids.

Deborah Staples (Helene Brocart)

Deborah Staples is an Associate Artist at Milwaukee Repertory Theater and recently played the roles of two queens in "Antony and Cleopatra" and "Elizabeth Rex" at Illinois Shakespeare Festival. Staples has appeared in over 100 stage productions across the country and has won praise for her work in dramas ranging from "The Blonde, The Brunette and The Vengeful Redhead" to "Anna Karenina." Her one woman play, "The Amish Project" opens in February at the Milwaukee Rep. She played the woman in the bookstore in Waterwalk.

Larry Herron (Rob Ellis)

Known for his roles on Modern Family, Shameless, Law & Order, NCIS, Cold Case, Medium, Numb3rs, and ER, Larry Herron played Othello to Kate Thomsen's Desdemona at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. where both won national college student acting awards. Herron is also a voice talent and regularly tutors high school students.

Jennifer Jelsema

Jennifer Jelsema is the lead in < 1 by Airship Cinema, featured in Meanwhile 20 Years Later, directed by Victor Fanucchi and in The End of the Tour, directed by James Ponsoldt. A professional film, commercial, and voice actor, Jennifer is also active in community theatre, performing in Circle Mirror Transformation and Distracted for Actors' Theatre Grand Rapids, The Vagina Monologues with Barefoot Productions, and in Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids’ production of Bitter Friends.

Michael Brian Ogden (Martin Brocart)

Michael Brian Ogden, a Purple Rose resident artist in Chelsea, MichiganThe Meaning of Almost Everything, has previously appeared inSuperior Donuts, White Buffalo, Escanaba in da Moonlight, Corktown, Our Town, Bleeding Red, Apartment 3A and Growing Pretty. His plays include Bleeding Red. Corktown and the forthcoming 2AZ.

Julia Glander (Mom)
Julia Glander has played leading roles around the country including Off-Broadway to the Hollywood Bowl, and in regional theaters including the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Asolo Repertory Theatre, and American Stage Theatre Company, to name a few. Michigan audiences may have seen her at the Williamston Theatre and at the Tipping Point Theatre in Northville, Michigan. She recently cofounded the Kickshaw Theater. Julia also appeared in Waterwalk.

Producer/screenwriter Roger Rapoport

Roger Rapoport produced and cowrote the feature film Waterwalk (2012) with Richard Harris. The screenplay, which he cowrote with Joe Anderson, is based on his novel Pilot Error. He has been covering the story that inspired this film for more than five years. His many books include Citizen Moore: The Making of An American Iconoclast, Hillsdale: Greek Tragedy in the American Heartland and Into the Sunlight. He also edited the I Should Have Stayed Home travel humor series that has been translated around the world. His journalism as appeared in such publications as Harper's, the Atlantic, Esquire, the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, the London Independent. As a book publisher he focused on travel, education, science, Judaica and biography. Rapoport lived in California for many years before returning home to Michigan in 2004.

Director Joe Anderson

Joe Anderson is an award-winning director, writer and comedian who spent two years touring with the famed Second City improv comedy theater. Anderson recently wrote and starred in the play Shoot Faster, Dear Brother, I'm Dying! He co-wrote and co-starred in the paranormal comedy America's Most Haunted. The movie has been described as "Scarier than Ghostubusters and funnier than Poltergeist." When home in Grand Rapids, he works with a wide variety of film/commercial groups on commercials and TV/film projects. He is also a board member of the all-volunteer, non-profit Dog Story Theater where he helped produce nearly 100 improv and sketch comedy shows. He currently tours the country with his sketch comedy group The Don't We Boys.

Composer Garth Neustadter

The film’s original score was composed by Garth Neustadter, an Emmy Award-Winning composer and multi-instrumentalist. He has composed feature-length scores for Warner Bros., PBS, Turner Classic Movies, and China's CCTV. His works have been heard in diverse venues ranging from Lincoln Center to Los Angeles' Nokia Theater. His "lyrical scores" have been praised by The Hollywood Reporter, while The Baltimore Sun says of his music, "The guy is a natural, as his soaring theme makes plain." Neustadter became one of the youngest composers to receive a Primetime Emmy Award for his score for the PBS American Masters documentary, John Muir in the New World.

Editor Gene Gamache:
Gene Gamache is the producer/director of the documentaries Houdini and A Circus Life. He has worked on campaigns for movies including Men in Black, Ghost, Braveheart, Forrest Gump, The Rock, Jurassic Park 3, Marley and Me, The Descendants and Shame. Gamache has won seven Key Art Awards from the Hollywood Reporter's annual competition for motion picture advertising.

Cinematographer David Darling

The owner of D2 Productions, David Darling was the head camera operator for two television programs, Come On Over and Backstage Drama. Based in Grand Haven, Michigan, Darling provides a wide range of video, editing, and production and live event services to clients throughout the country.

Assistant cinematographer and Associate Producer Bruce Schermer

Bruce Schermer shot Sundance grand prize winner Chameleon Street and most of Michael Moore's debut hit Roger & Me. He was also cinematographer on Waterwalk. He works in Hollywood and Michigan.

Executive Producer Robert Goodrich

Robert Goodrich is the former owner of Goodrich Quality Theaters now practicing law in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has been in the motion picture business for more than 50 years and has been nationally recognized for his passionate commitment to the cinema arts.

Executive Producer Tom Boldt

The CEO of Boldt Construction Company, Tom Boldt has been a passionate supporter of the arts and arts education in Wisconsin for decades. He was instrumental in connecting two key players to the Pilot Error production team, editor Gene Gamache and composer Garth Neustadter.

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