A clip from a flight simulator is viral falsely claiming that it shows a compilation of real-life incidents of airplanes experiencing crosswinds while landing spectacularly defying all odds.
The 2.07 minutes clip shows three aircraft - Dreams Air, Boeing 777, and Garuda Indonesia which are inspired by real commercial airplane company names making a hard landing on the runway unharmed.
The clip is viral in the backdrop of the Air India Express flight 1344 that skid off the runway and fell 35 feet down a slope before breaking into two pieces at Kozhikode airport in Kerala on the night of August 7, 2020. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the airplane had 191 people on board, and in a statement, Air India Express confirmed the death of 18 people including both pilots.
Also Read: Kerala Plane Crash: Malappuram DC Denies 40 Passengers Tested COVID-19 Positive
The clip is being shared on Facebook with the caption, "Cross winds effects landing.......Look how difficult for a Pilot to maneuver the flight!!"
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Viral on Twitter
Harsh Goenka, Chairman of RPG Enterprises, also tweeted the viral clip with the caption, "Some hair raising landings which still managed to survive a crash". However on later being pointed out by several users that it is a simulation, Goenka replied 'of course'.
Some hair raising landings which still managed to survive a crash pic.twitter.com/Ao5LONHk16
— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) August 12, 2020
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How cross winds impact an aircraft? Even the most experienced pilots are tested to the hilt. Take offs & landings at God's mercy. pic.twitter.com/VbDR7BV4TV
— Harinder S Sikka (@sikka_harinder) August 11, 2020
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BOOM also received the clip on its WhatsApp helpline number (7700906111)
Also Read: Video Simulation Of Air India Express Flight 1344 Crash Viral As Real
FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the viral clip is taken from a flight simulator X-Plane 11 made by Laminar Research, and is not real footage of pilots landing their planes on the runway while battling crosswinds.
On observing the video, at several points, one can notice that the clip is a simulation. At the 13 seconds timestamp, one can clearly notice that aircraft's wings are going into the runway and coming out of the ground unscathed without any damage.
Taking a cue from the replies to the viral clip, we searched with the keywords 'X-Plane 11' on YouTube and found that the clip has been picked from a YouTube channel that makes videos on airplanes landing using flight simulator games.
We found that the viral clip matches the video uploaded on May 1, 2020, with the caption, "Most Crazy Emergency Landing By Drunk Pilot | X-Plane 11". At the 3.53 minutes time stamp, the same sequence of events occur and the same names are spotted on the plane like 'Dreams Air', 'Boeing 777', and 'Garuda Indonesia'.
The YouTube channel Bopbibun had also stated below the video that it is a flight simulation and not real.
BOOM has previously debunked misinformation around the Kerala plane crash as a video simulation of the Air India Express Flight 1344 was shared falsely claiming that it was the actual footage of the airplane skidding off the runway
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