Pinky,
That was actually the movie "version" of Fate is the Hunter! released in around 1964 with Rod Taylor and Glenn Ford. The aircraft in question was I think the prototype Caravelle, complete with test data nose probe.
Very little like the book I'm afraid, but maybe the book was unfilmable anyway.
The Captain, Jack Savage played by Rod Taylor, natural aviator, supremely confident, capable and unflappable. Has an engine failure after ingesting birds on takeoff, shuts her down and heads back to the departure airfield. Then an engine "fire" in the remaining live engine. Uh oh! Sees a long beach in the darkness, and attempts to put her down! mmm.. Anyway, didn't realise there was a pier halfway along, and BAM. Blue ribbon crash was the term used!
During the investigation, no fault could be found in the engine that Captain Savage shut down. The rest of the movie centres around Glenn Ford's character Sam Mcbane the airline executive, old Airforce buddy of Jack and completely opposite personality, trying to find the cause and clear his dead friends name.
After numerous dead ends, Sam is left with the conclusion that a combination of random events "Fate" was the only possible reason for the crash. In a last ditch effort to solve the mystery, they decide to repeat the flight in every possible detail. The one sole survivor of the crash, a flight attendant was convinced to come along. She placed a cup of coffee on the centre console just as she did for Jack prior to the birdstrike.