Factual error: Before the damaged plane is dismantled, in some shots the three propeller blades of the port side engine are a mixture of clockwise and anticlockwise type. (The twist along the length of the blade goes the opposite direction depending on the type).
Continuity mistake: In the scene near the end when the men are done dragging the plane, one of the men unhooks the dragging strap under the left wing. In the next shot, it shows the pilot standing on top of the wing with the strap still attached. When the men climb the ladder to board the plane, the strap is gone. (02:14:40 - 02:15:15)
Continuity mistake: When the Sergeant finds his Captain after the Captain's return, the blisters on his nose are prominent. Later they have disappeared and they come and go throughout several scenes.
Continuity mistake: As Phoenix takes off it has wheels on the skis, but there are no wheels as it passes the oil rig.
Continuity mistake: In at least two shots, as the Phoenix first becomes airborne, it is obvious that there are no men clinging to the wing surfaces.
Answer: In the desert, the only place you can find water as at an oasis or maybe digging in a dry river bed. Those bushes would be extremely salty, and any meaningful water would be far too deep under the sand.
stiiggy