Continuity: When Roy Scheider's partner is killed, he is run over by a car. After the car runs him over, his body rolls and you can see his arms swinging freely even though his hands were bound by the plastic ties. Later when you see his body, his hands are bound again.

Deliberate "mistake": The Army Sergeant that gives the Blue Thunder presentation's mustache is out of military regulations - much too thick and too long.

Continuity: In the climactic chase scene, when Murphy is shot through the window, he is shot in his right arm and there is a hole in the window with blood on it. When he does a 360 degree loop in the helicopter the broken window and blood appears on his left side—the opposite window to that which he was shot through.

Deliberate "mistake": When Cochran sabotages the Jet Ranger helicopter by loosening the nut on the bolt securing the linear actuator governor, the bolt is inserted in the wrong direction. The bolt should have been heads up to prevent it from falling out as it did causing the helicopter to crash. Moreover, the linear actuator is on the opposite of the engine from where Cochran disconnected it.

Factual error: When the SWAT officers are piling out of the van to get into the helicopters to chase Blue Thunder, the lead SWAT officers hair is too long at the back. Allowances are made for plain clothes officers, but not for uniformed officers.

Continuity: When Frank Murphy, his girlfriend, and her son are in the car, the boy asks to borrow Frank's wristwatch, and Frank gives it to him. Moments later, Frank is still wearing the watch.

Continuity: When Blue Thunder is flying over the drive-in theater the shadow shows a bell JetRanger.

Factual error: When the F-16s take off to shoot down the Blue Thunder, both planes have the same tail number 068. All military jets have individual tail numbers.

Revealing: When the van gets flipped over outside the BBQ chicken place, you can see the cannon that flips the van over.

Revealing: Right after a fleeing felon is shot dead and falls into the pool (whereupon Murphy says "He's bought it"), he appears to be swimming to stay afloat.

Continuity: As the Chevrolet Vega arrives at the TV studio, the roof is shown to have sustained significant damage, as if something huge has fallen on it. The right headlamp area is also smashed and the light gone. But at no time in the chase does anything occur to cause any of this damage.

Other: The weather in L.A. sure is interesting, as well as the sunset/nightfall time. Near the end, before Frank Murphy notices the train and lands the helicopter, it is near sunset. The sky is still blue when we see a close-up of the train operator. By the time the latter notices the helicopter flying above the train, it is already night time. And just before landing on the rails, at night, the helicopter hovers a bit, and you can see that it is raining. When Frank exits the helicopter, it is a clear night.