Sriwijaya Air crash

This video shows a Filipina flight attendant on board a Cebu Pacific plane in 2020

  • This article is more than one year old.
  • Published on January 25, 2021 at 08:10
  • Updated on January 25, 2021 at 13:13
  • 2 min read
  • By AFP Indonesia

Copyright © AFP 2017-2025. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.

A video has been viewed tens of thousands of times on Facebook, YouTube and TikTok alongside a claim that it shows a flight attendant crying on board Indonesia’s Sriwijaya Air Flight SJ 182 shortly before the aircraft crashed into the Java Sea in January 2021. The claim is false: the clip shows a Filipino flight attendant speaking about her last shift for the Philippine low-cost airline Cebu Pacific in 2020.

The 11-second video was posted here on Facebook on January 11, 2021. It has been viewed more than 700 times. 

Screenshot of misleading post, taken on January 22, 2020

The post's Indonesian-language caption translates to English as: “The victim’s tears are like the constant rain. The flight attendant’s last words on Sj182 

“Before the tragedy happened, she already had a hunch. Rest in peace in heaven now, younger sister”. 

Indonesia’s Sriwijaya Air Flight SJ 182, carrying 62 people on board, crashed into the Java Sea on January 9, 2021, just four minutes after taking off from Jakarta’s airport, AFP reported here. 

The footage has been viewed more than 77,000 times  after it was posted alongside a similar claim on YouTube here, here, here; as well as on TikTok here and here. 

The claim is false.

An online search found the video was previously posted here on October 24, 2020, on TikTok account @cckimberlyangcay. 

The video’s caption reads: "MY LAST FLIGHT AS A CABIN CREW vlog ?? yt link in my bio ?”.

Screenshot of TikTok post

In the video, the woman can be heard speaking Tagalog, saying: “Guys, this flight is so (emotionally) heavy for me.”

The logo for Cebu Pacific, a low-cost carrier from the Philippines, can be seen in the background of the clip. 

Below is screenshot comparison between the footage in the misleading post (L) and the original clip (R), with the logo of Cebu Pacific circled by AFP:

Screenshot comparison between footage in the misleading post (L) and the original clip (R)

Angelica Kimberly M. Angcay, the owner of the TikTok account, told AFP that she recorded the video on her last flight working as a Cebu Pacific cabin crew member in July 2020.

“I could not help but break down during the flight because we received the email about the retrenchment while we were briefing before the flight,” the former flight attendant told AFP by Instagram message on January 22, 2021. “I really wanted to vlog my last flight and just enjoy it. I tried to contain my emotions that time, but I broke down during the flight.” 

Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.

Contact us

Next article Previous article