Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Visuals of turbulence in the Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore.
Fact
2019 video of turbulence onboard an ALK Airlines flight shared in a false context.
One passenger died and multiple suffered injuries as a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence. The flight SQ321, with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board, was diverted and landed at Bangkok on Tuesday.
Social media platforms were soon flooded with unverified images and videos claiming to show the turbulence in the Singapore Airlines flight and its aftermath. One such video recorded by a passenger showing an air stewardess losing her balance, and colliding with the passenger seats, spilling beverages all over the passengers, has been linked to the recent turbulence in the Singaporean aircraft. Newschecker found that the video dates back to 2019, and has been shared in a false context.
Such posts can be seen here, here, here and here.
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Fact Check/Verification
We skimmed through multiple posts carrying the footage and spotted an X user crediting the video to one “ Mirjeta Basha.” Another Facebook post with a watermark of Sky News also credited the video to “Mirjeta Basha.”
Taking a clue, we looked up keywords “flight turbulence,” and “Mirjeta Basha” on Google which yielded a report by Daily Mail, dated June 17, 2019. Displaying the viral footage, the report stated, “This is the moment violent turbulence during a flight from Kosovo to Switzerland sent a stewardess and her drinks trolley crashing into the ceiling. Video footage from the ALK Airlines flight from Pristina to Basel on Sunday shows scalding drinks spilling over passengers as the stewardess collides with the interior. A woman can be seen holding her hands together in prayer as searing water from the drinks trolley pours down from her arms. “
Adding, “The footage was filmed by Mirjeta Basha who said the turbulence began around 30 minutes after takeoff and lasted for at least five minutes. She told Minuten: ‘People started screaming and crying. A flight attendant slammed her trolley on the ceiling. Cups flew around, some were scalded by hot water.’”
The Sun also featured the video in a report, dated June 17, 2019, stating, “Turbulence aboard a flight from Pristina to EuroAirport Basel on June 16 was strong enough to throw a flight attendant and her trolley to the ceiling and send them crashing down on passengers, dramatic video taken on board shows.”
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Detailing the incident, a report by ABC News, dated June 18, 2019, stated, “According to a spokesperson for EuroAirport, 10 passengers were dispatched to local hospitals in Basel and suffered minor injuries.”
“The flight from Pristina with airline ALK experienced turbulence in the air around 20 minutes before landing.The pilot alerted handling agents so that the airport firemen were immediately on the scene when the plane arrived,” the report quoted a EuroAirport spokesperson as saying.
The video was also uploaded on the official YouTube channel on Euronews on June 19, 2019, to show an incident on the ALK Airlines flight.
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Conclusion
We could thus conclude that a 2019 video of an ALK Airlines flight has been falsely shared to show the recent turbulence in a Singapore Airlines flight.
Result: False
Sources
Report By Daily Mail, Dated June 17, 2019
YouTube Video By The Sun, Dated June 17, 2019
Report By ABC News, Dated June 18, 2019
YouTube Video By Euronews, Dated June 19, 2019,
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
