"Killer Wind"

(Original air date 10/16/77)
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During a hurricane, Steve risks his life to rescue a group of children
trapped in a stalled mountain tramway
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Writer: Gregory S. Dinallo

Director: Richard Moder

Steve and Rudy are flying back to Washington when they get caught in an oncoming tornado. Steve suggests to land in a deserted field in Bridgetown while they let the storm pass.
Down on the ground, three men take advantage of the windstorm to rob a Saving and Loans establishment.
At the same time, a small group of students, Tony (Glen Demlinger), Andrew (Bryan Scott), Anna Lee (Connie Hearn) and Gary (Troy Goudlock) are on a field trip in the mountains. With the storm moving in, their teacher (Madelyn Cain) suggests to ride the tram back down but young Gary reassures them they have plenty of time and offers to find a shelter to finish their picnic.


In their getaway van, the robbers revel in their victory. They commend their leader Nash's (Adam Roarke) idea of robbing a bank while everyone's busy barricading their windows. Soon the wind hurls them off the road and into a ditch.
Steve lands the plane safely on the ground. When Rudy jumps down, he sprains his ankle.


Meanwhile, the robbers try to haul their van out of the ditch. Nash suggests to his two partners Falco (Fred J. Gordon) and Keller to fetch a car while he keeps an eye on the $200.000 loot.
Inside a small roadside diner, waitress Rhonda Allen (Sheila DeWindt) attempts to contact her father Garth (Jim McEachin) on the radio as Steve helps a limping Rudy in. Steve asks to borrow a car to drive to the nearest doctor. Unfortunately there are none available for her father took the last one to head up the mountains to evacuate the vicinity. Instead she offers some ice to bring down the swelling.


Steve recalls the stranded van he saw just before landing. He decides to go look for it and see if he can salvage it.
Nash, posing as a telephone repairman, is startled when Steve shows up out of nowhere. He offers to get the van out of the ditch if he lets him borrow it long enough to drive Rudy to the doctor's. Nash reluctantly agrees. As he lends a hand with the pushing, he accidentally drops his gun on the ground. As he begins to search or it, Steve hurries him into the van.


At the diner, Rhonda is relieved to finally hear her father's voice on the radio. She asks if he has any news about her brother Gary. Worried, she proposes to show Steve the way to the doctor's office providing they drop her off at the tram station afterwards.
Steve agrees but Nash protests, stating that his boss will have his hide if he doesn't show up soon with the van. Seeing Rhonda's desperation to get to her father, Steve's best suggestion to Nash is to leave a note.
They settle Rudy in the back of the van. Nash offers to stay with him while Steve drives.


Up in the mountains, Garth supervises the tram operations. As the cable car slowly comes down the mountain, the mechanism fails.
Keller and Falco drop by the diner and find Nash's message.
Meanwhile, Rhonda and Steve continue their road. They stop at a gate where Nash gets down and straps a red flag on the fence for his partners to find.


With the cable car out of order and the tornado approaching, Garth proposes to climb the mountain on foot. The tram operator (Jim Raymond) believes the idea is foolish and suggests to wait until the cable is repaired, but Garth doesn't think they have that much time.
At the doctor's office, Rudy is being attended to by Dr. Harriet Jenny (Sylvia Walden) a feisty woman who doesn't mince words. As she prepares to X-Ray Rudy's ankle, the power goes out.


Outside, Nash pries the key away from Rhonda, insisting he has to return the van to his boss. Steve manages to talk some sense into him. Then he jumps on the roof to fix the loose wire and restores electricity.


Nash's cohorts pick up his trail. They spot the van leaving the driveway and follow it.
Meanwhile up in the mountains, after breaking his arm in a bad fall, Garth is compelled to abandon his foolish idea to climb on foot. Fortunately, the tram is once again operational.
Miss Corrigan ushers her students inside the car. They take advantage of the lull to begin their journey down.


At the doctor's office, news of the robbery hits the radio waves. A physical description of the robbers is given, prompting Dr. Jenny to contact the sheriff on Rudy whom she suspects is one of them.
While Steve and Rhonda are speeding to the tram station, Nash knocks Steve over the head with a wrench. Nash's men catch up with the van. They fling Steve on the side of the road, throw away the key, take Rhonda as hostage and continue on.


Steve regains his senses as the van drives away. He goes into a bionic sprint, speeding ahead of them to block the road with a telephone pole. When they stop the van and get out to inspect, Steve shows up and teases them about needing some help.
Surprised, they lunge at Steve simultaneously. Steve makes a jump and all three knock themselves out.


Steve ties the three men to the pole and frees Rhonda. The identity of their three friends is revealed after finding the loot in the back of the truck.
Back in the mountains, a lightning bolt strikes one of the cable towers, cutting the power. The children are now trapped inside the cable car.


Steve and Rhonda arrive on site. A critical situation is calling for desperate measures. Therefore Steve volunteers to climb the tower and crawl on the cables to reach the car.   Lee's stunt


With his bionic arm, he brings the car down to the station just as the tornado hits. The all crouch on the floor of the car while the twister passes over them.
All's well that ends well. Rhonda thanks Steve for all his help while Dr. Jenny gives medical advice to a grumpy Rudy.


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