Authors
Vaibhav is a part of Newschecker’s English team, where he spots and debunks all kinds of misinformation, making the rounds on the internet. A Journalism graduate from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, he holds an M.A degree in Philosophy and an M.Phil from Delhi University.
A video shot from inside an aeroplane before it crashes to the ground while the passengers in the plane can be heard screaming is going viral on social media, claiming to show the last moments before the plane crash in Southern China. In the video, the aeroplane appears to nose dive, before it finally crashes to the ground.
The video has been shared on Twitter by Twitter user @AbdulMu28980802 which has garnered 1,96,400 views with 912 likes and 280 retweets along with the caption ‘A Boeing 737 just crashed in southern China. This was one of the last moments recorded on the plane. maybe the only moment. Viewers’ discretion advised.’
Newschecker found similar claims on Twitter with different captions.
China Eastern Flight MU5735 crashed near Guangzhou on 21st March 2022. The flight was carrying 132 people out of which no survivors have been reported as of yet. The Boeing 737 was en route from the southwestern city of Kunming to Guangzhou when it lost contact over the city of Wuzhou. Boeing said in a statement on social media that they are in contact with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and our technical experts are prepared to assist with the investigation led by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Fact Check/ Verification
Newschecker conducted a Google reverse image search on the key-frames of the viral video to ascertain its authenticity and found a longer version of the video published on YouTube on 11th March 2019 of a simulation of a deadly Ethiopian Airlines B737 crash. The video was uploaded by a Youtube channel called Bull Bosphorus which posts flight simulation videos. The video matches the viral social media post and the relevant section can be seen around the 9-minute mark.
The beginning of the YouTube video says: “This simulation crash is made with x-plane 11 flight simulator [XP11]. This is not exactly what happened, this is only a simulated flight crash for Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302. This story is based on real events.”
Upon performing a keyword search, Newschecker found a news report by The Guardian uploaded on 11th March 2019. According to the report, “Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crashed shortly after taking off. The incident killed all 149 passengers and eight crew members on board. The plane was on its way to Nairobi from Addis Ababa when it crashed six minutes after takeoff early on Sunday.”
Upon further investigation, Newschecker found another news report done by NBC News on their Youtube channel. The images of the aeroplane showed the same logo present on the flight as seen in the viral social media post.
Upon cross-checking the logo of China Eastern Airlines, Newschecker found a tweet posted by their official handle on 18th March 2020. In the tweet, the logo does not match with the logo seen on the flight in the viral social media post.
Conclusion
According to the investigation conducted by Newschecker, the viral video of the simulation of an Ethiopian Airlines flight in 2019 is being passed off as the last moments before the plane crash in China.
Result: False Context/False
Read More: Video Showing Raging Forest Fire Not Linked To Plane Crash In Southern China
Our Sources
Youtube channel of Bull Bosphorus
The Guardian
Youtube channel of NBC News
Twitter account of China Eastern Airlines
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Authors
Vaibhav is a part of Newschecker’s English team, where he spots and debunks all kinds of misinformation, making the rounds on the internet. A Journalism graduate from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, he holds an M.A degree in Philosophy and an M.Phil from Delhi University.
