Old video shared as Singapore Airlines’ flight in turbulence; Fact Check

A Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence on May 21, 2024, resulting in the death of one passenger and injuries to 30 other passengers. The Boeing 777-300ER reportedly plunged 6,000 feet before making an emergency landing in Bangkok.

Following the incident, a video purportedly showing the turbulence went viral on social media. The clip depicted passengers screaming as the aircraft violently shook.

One X user shared the video with the caption, “My deepest condolences… One passenger has died and 30 others have been injured when Singapore Airlines #Boeing777 London-Singapore flight suffered a serious malfunction during its one-day layover.”

My deepest condolences ❤️🙏🙏
One passenger has died and 30 others have been injured when Singapore Airlines #Boeing777 London-Singapore flight suffered a serious malfunction during its one-day layover. #Turbulence #sq321 #Vedant Agarwal #Sara Ali Khan #SingaporeAirlines pic.twitter.com/zW4w4hKun7

— Preeti bhokar (@Preeti_bhokar) May 21, 2024

FACT-CHECK

A simple reverse image search by Digiteye India taking keyframes from the viral video traced the origin of the video to an unrelated 2019 incident. This footage was actually taken on June 16, 2019, during a flight from Pristina, Kosovo, to Basel, Switzerland. The turbulence on the ALK Airlines Boeing 737. The video was reportedly filmed by a passenger, Mirjeta Basha. It shows passengers hastily securing their belongings and bracing for impact as a violent jolt rocked the aircraft, sending a flight attendant and her drink cart into the ceiling. Despite the chaos, the plane landed normally without declaring an emergency. It was also reported by news outlets.

According to an ABC News report, 10 of the 121 passengers on board were hospitalized with minor injuries upon arrival in Basel. Several media outlets covered the incident and shared the video at that time.

Hence, the visual being shared claiming that it was from the Singapore Airlines flight was false. It was taken from a different incident in June 16, 2019, during a flight from Pristina, Kosovo, to Basel, Switzerland, on the ALK Airlines Boeing 737.

Claim: Video claims footage of Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore encountering severe turbulence on May 21, 2024.

Conclusion: The video clip is false. It was not from the Singapore Airlines flight but was actually from an unrelated incident from 2019.

Rating: Misrepresentation —