Claim:
On June 12, 2025 – the day Air India Flight AI171 crashed – the Daily Mail published Instagram footage claiming to show cabin malfunctions ‘just before’ the accident.
FactCheck:
- Video provenance
Reverse image search confirmed the video was first published by X user @Akash Vatsa, who explicitly stated he had been aboard the preceding flight of the crashed aircraft. He supported his claim with ticket documentation for flight AI423 and the aircraft registration number (VT-ANB), showing that the footage was recorded during the AI423 flight (Delhi-Ahmedabad) which utilized the same physical aircraft (VT-ANB) as the crashed AI171 flight (Ahmedabad-London), meaning the two were separate flights operated by the same aircraft.
Cross-verified through FlightAware (https://www.flightaware.com), with AI423 flight records matching @Akash Vatsa’s ticket documentation.
- Omission of key context in media report
The Daily Mail account (4.03 million followers) published the video with the headline: “Chilling video shows ‘nothing was working’ on Air India flight just before crash” but failed to specify that the footage depicted flight AI423 – a separate operation by the same aircraft hours before the accident.
Conclusion:
Clickbait
The video authentically documents cabin equipment malfunctions but was recorded on flight AI423. Daily Mail failed to disclose relevant contextual information in its reporting.
