Video game clip falsely shared as 'Qantas plane crash'

Published on October 16, 2024 at 09:49
3 min read
By Ara Eugenio, AFP Philippines

A simulated clip of a plane crash has been viewed tens of thousands of times in posts falsely claiming it shows a real aircraft operated by Australian carrier Qantas. The footage was originally published by a social media user who wrote that it was captured from the Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) video game.

"Qantas 747-Airplane crash," read the English-language caption of a Facebook reel shared on July 15, 2024.

The video -- viewed more than 32,000 times -- appears to show a passenger plane crashing into a residential area.

Screenshot of the false post taken on October 15, 2024

It was also shared alongside a similar false claim on Facebook here, here and here.

Comments on the video suggested some users believed it genuinely showed a plane crash.

"Oh no, we really don't know what will happen so just pray always," said one user.

"This is so scary, I don't wanna ride a plane anymore," another commented.

But the video does not show a real accident.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, responsible for investigating all incidents involving Australian-registered civilian aircraft, has not reported a recent crash involving a Qantas airliner as of October 16 (archived link).

Simulated footage

The video shows signs it was simulated; notably when the plane crashes to the ground, it makes little impact on the surrounding area.

Reverse image searches found it was first posted by TikTok user Gabru Gamer, who has posted clips of simulated plane crashes captured from the GTA V game (archived links here and here).

"Qantas 747 Airplane Crash into Home #qantas #crashlanding #foryou #airport #gta6 #gta5clips," the original clip's caption read, indicating it was taken from the game.

The user's TikTok page also contained a link to his YouTube profile, where he said he "loves to play and makes videos for my fans so they can also enjoy the game".

Players of GTA V often modify the game to add new vehicles and features (archived link).

Keyword searches on Google found the aircraft seen in the false post matches a Qantas Boeing 747 model that can be downloaded from a website that shares modifications for the game (archived link).

Below is a comparison of the video seen in the false post (left) and on TikTok (right):

Comparison of the video seen in the false post (left) and on TikTok (right)

Boeing 747s are equipped with four engines but the plane in the false video only has two, as highlighted in screenshot comparison below:

Screenshot comparison between plane in false post and Boeing 747 design from the company's official website, taken October 10, 2024

Qantas also retired the airliner model from passenger service in July 2020 (archived links here and here).

AFP has previously debunked posts sharing computer-generated clips of plane crashes. Here are some tips on how to spot them.

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