A video has been shared in Chinese-language social media posts that claim it shows a U.S. fighter jet crashing.
But the claim is false. The video in fact shows a crash of private aircraft produced by the Soviet Union for export in the late 1960s.
The video was shared on X on Feb. 2.
“Another plane has crashed again! Could it be that the ‘Beacon Nation’ has developed a seventh-generation fighter jet, and since the hangars are full, they need to destroy some of the old stock?,” the caption of the video reads, referring to the United States.
The 26-second video shows two pilots parachuting out of a low-flying plane before it crashes.
U.S. aircraft crashes have become a hot topic on Chinese-language social media following recent accidents including a F-35 fighter jet that crashed in Alaska during training on Jan. 28, a military helicopter crashing into a commercial airplane over Washington on Jan. 29 and a medical plane crashing into a Philadelphia neighborhood on Jan. 31.
But the claim about the video is false. The video in fact shows the crash of private aircraft produced by the Soviet Union for export in the late 1960s.
A reverse image search on Google found the original video posted on TikTok by meteorologist Ahmad Bajjey at the American broadcaster CBS in August 2023.
The caption of the video reads: “Crash at the #ThunderOverMichigan #Airshow today. A MiG-23 crashed into the Waverly on the Lake apartments complex after both pilots ejected. No injuries and no fatalities. Several vehicles destroyed in apartment complex lot.”
The Detroit News, among other media outlets, reported the incident at that time, saying the video was genuine and the incident occurred at an airshow titled “Thunder Over Michigan.”
The reports pointed out that the aircraft was not a U.S. army fighter plane but a privately owned MiG-23 jet..
Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Taejun Kang.
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