Factual error: When Grace is fighting the controls of the C-5 cargo aircraft there is a shot of part of the instrument panel. Among the items on the panel is a switch labeled "tail rotor quadrant." The C-5 does not have a tail rotor. Helicopters do. (01:35:00)
Factual error: When Grace first shoots the Rev-9 Terminator, she is using a Winchester Pump Shotgun with a long magazine tube. She however fires 13 rounds at the Terminator, while the shotgun is only able to hold a maximum of between 7-8 shells in the magazine tube.
Answer: The simplest answer is, this is a movie, and movies often exaggerate, change, or fabricate details that logically could never occur in real-life. This is a perfect example of a deliberately faked action sequence that is contrived solely to entertain the audience by employing a 'suspension of disbelief.' It's more exciting and suspenseful to be able to see the plane crash, even though, as you point out, it realistically would be miles away by that time.
raywest ★