Tom Cruise's film crew for the latest movie in the Mission Impossible series feared the actor would die after he appeared to lose consciousness on the wing of a stunt plane over Africa.

Cruise, 62, who performs his own stunts and flew the two-seater plane alone, had lain down on the wing after spending 22 minutes outside the cockpit - 10 more than safety rules allow, director Christopher McQuarrie told a masterclass at the Cannes Film Festival, where "Mission Impossible: Retribution" will premiere.

"When you step out of the cockpit of a plane, it's like stepping onto the surface of another planet. The wind hits you at over 225 km/h coming from the propeller. You breathe, but only physically. You don't actually get oxygen. Tom had exerted himself to the point that he was so physically exhausted that he couldn't get out of the wing. He was lying on the wing of the plane with his arms hanging over the front of the wing. We couldn't tell if he was conscious or not," said the American director, who shot the last four films in the franchise.

Cruise, who is a trained aerobatic pilot, was alone on the biplane and agreed to give a hand signal to indicate if he was in trouble, McQuarrie said.

"You can't do that when you're unconscious," the director told the Cannes audience, and Cruise, seated next to him, nodded his head.

To make matters worse, the plane had only six minutes of fuel left. But the star finally wised up.

"We watched as Tom stood up and stuck his head in the cockpit so he could replenish the oxygen in his body, and then climb into the cockpit and land the plane safely. No one on Earth can do that except Tom Cruise," he said to thunderous applause.

Asked how he dealt with fear, the American actor pointed to the years of preparation for his films.

"I like the feeling. It's just an emotion for me. It's something that's not paralyzing. I think, 'Oh, this is exciting'. I don't mind facing the unknown," Tom explained.

That was far from the only fear the two experienced while filming the epic $400 million film, the eighth in the series known for its dizzying sets and breathtaking action scenes. | BGNES