It happened fast. One minute you're scrolling through your feed, and then there it is—a graininess, a sudden tilt of a wingspan, and a plume of smoke that stays in your head for days. If you've spent any time online recently, you've probably seen a version of an air india video crash making the rounds on social media. People are sharing these clips like crazy, often with breathless captions about "miracles" or "tragedies," but honestly, the reality behind these videos is way more complicated than a ten-second TikTok suggests.
A lot of these clips aren't even from the same event. Some are from the tragic 2020 Kozhikode crash. Others are digital simulations from flight simulators like MSFS 2020 that look scary-real. It's a mess of misinformation out there.
The Kozhikode Incident: Where Most Real Footage Originates
When people search for an air india video crash, they are most likely seeing remnants of the Air India Express Flight 1344 disaster. This happened back in August 2020 at Calicut International Airport. It was a "tabletop" runway. If you don't know what that is, imagine a runway built on a hill with steep drops at both ends. There is zero room for error.
The pilot, Captain Deepak Sathe, was a former Indian Air Force test pilot. He was highly experienced. But the weather was a nightmare. We're talking heavy monsoon rain and a tailwind that just wouldn't quit. The aircraft touched down too far down the runway. It didn't stop. It plunged over the edge and broke into two pieces.
You’ve probably seen the CCTV footage. It’s haunting. It shows the aircraft disappearing into the darkness and then a flash.
The official Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report didn't mince words. It pointed toward "non-adherence" to standard operating procedures. But it also acknowledged the systemic issues—the pressure on pilots and the tricky nature of tabletop runways during the Indian monsoon. It wasn't just one thing. It never is in aviation. It's a chain of events that all go wrong at the exact same time.
Why Fake Crash Videos Are Flooding Your Feed
Here is the thing that really gets me: a huge chunk of what people call an air india video crash is actually fake.
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Digital creators use high-end flight simulators to recreate "what if" scenarios. They'll simulate an engine failure on an Air India Boeing 787 or a landing gear collapse at Heathrow. These videos get millions of views because they look terrifyingly authentic. The problem starts when people screen-record these simulations, strip away the credits, and post them as "breaking news."
- Look at the physics: Real fire doesn't move in loops.
- Check the camera angle: Real crashes are usually caught on shaky doorbell cams or fixed airport CCTV, not cinematic sweeping drone shots.
- The sound: Real aviation disasters are usually weirdly quiet or filled with the sound of wind and roaring engines, not dramatic movie-style orchestral swells.
I’ve seen clips where the plane literally bounces like a rubber ball. Real planes, made of aluminum and composite materials, tend to crumple or shred. They don't bounce. If you see a plane bouncing off a highway in a video labeled air india video crash, it’s a fake. Period.
The Technical Reality of Recent Air India Close Calls
Air India has been in the news a lot lately since the Tata Group took over. They are buying hundreds of new planes. They are trying to fix a reputation that had, frankly, slid a bit over the last few decades.
Recently, there was a scary moment at Mumbai airport where an Air India plane took off while an IndiGo plane was landing on the very same runway. A video of this went viral instantly. People labeled it an air india video crash, but it wasn't a crash—it was a "loss of separation."
It was a terrifyingly close call.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stepped in immediately. They de-rostered the Air Traffic Control (ATC) staff involved. This is the kind of stuff that actually matters for safety. It’s not about a spectacular explosion; it’s about the narrow margins of error in a crowded sky. The video shows the IndiGo plane touching down just as the Air India jet lifts its nose. Seconds. That’s all that was between a normal day and a national tragedy.
What the Experts Say About Safety Records
Aviation experts like Captain Amit Singh have been vocal about the "safety culture" in Indian aviation. It's a high-growth market. Everyone is flying. But when you grow that fast, training and infrastructure have to keep up.
When you see an air india video crash clip, you have to look at the date. Air India's safety record, statistically speaking, is on par with many global carriers, but the aging fleet they inherited from the government years ago had its share of "technical snags." Since the Tata takeover, they've been retiring the old birds. They're spending billions on new Airbus and Boeing jets.
The goal is to move away from the era where "technical glitches" were a daily headline.
How to Spot Misinformation in Seconds
If you see a video popping up in your "Recommended" or "Discover" feed, do a quick mental checklist before you share it.
- The Watermark: Look for "MFS" or "X-Plane" in the corners. These are the logos for flight simulators.
- The Weather: Many viral videos show clear blue skies, while most real Air India incidents happened during heavy rain or fog.
- The Comments: Usually, there's one aviation nerd in the comments screaming "This is a sim!" Listen to that person.
The internet is a feedback loop. If people click on air india video crash, the algorithm shows them more. This creates a false sense that planes are falling out of the sky every day. They aren't.
Moving Forward: What This Means for Travelers
It’s easy to get spooked by a viral air india video crash. It's visceral. It's scary. But if you're actually flying, you need to look at the data, not the TikToks.
Air India is currently undergoing a massive "transformation" plan called Vihaan.AI. They are re-training pilots and cabin crew. They are upgrading their maintenance facilities. The focus is shifting toward "predictive maintenance"—fixing things before they even break.
If you are worried about safety, the best thing you can do is stay informed through official channels like the DGCA or the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). Don't let a simulated video of a plane landing on its nose ruin your travel plans.
Actionable Steps for Navigating Aviation News
Stop trusting "Citizen Journalism" on X (formerly Twitter) without a secondary source. If a plane actually crashed, the BBC, Reuters, and the Press Trust of India (PTI) would have it on their front pages within three minutes.
Always check the date. People love to repost the 2010 Mangalore crash or the 2020 Kozhikode footage every time there is a minor technical delay at an airport. It’s engagement bait.
If you want to track real-time safety, use an app like FlightRadar24. You can see the actual path of the plane. If a flight "squawks 7700" (the code for an emergency), you'll see it there first, long before a fake video hits the "For You" page.
The next time an air india video crash appears on your screen, take a breath. Look for the tail number. Look for the simulator artifacts. Usually, it's just someone looking for clicks by exploiting very real fears. Stay skeptical.