Corrected entry: It's still some degree of daylight in the exterior shot of Rayford's plane. Inside the plane, several passengers have their window guards up, and it's pitch black outside. Outside one window you can even see the blinking red light (anyone who has sat near the wing on a red-eye flight can relate). But when Rayford decides to turn the plane around, the exterior shot still shows some daylight.
K.C. Sierra
2nd Apr 2004
Correction: This is possible depending on which side of the plane the passengers are on and the plane's altitude. If the plane is at an average of 35-40.000 feet, if the sun is setting or rising, it's possible to have darkness on one side of the plane, as it is still in shadow, but the sky already lightening.