The video is being shared widely on social media and even in news reports in the context of the Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence and left one man dead, but the footage has been misattributed.
A video doing the rounds on Facebook supposedly shows the inside of the Singapore Airlines plane that was travelling from London to Singapore when it was hit by severe turbulence on 21 May.
It shows a passenger’s viewpoint as the plane is suddenly violently rocked, sending a member of the cabin crew crashing into the ceiling.
Refreshments and personal belongings are also thrown into the air, and luggage falls from the overhead lockers, hitting the screaming passengers.
Social media users are sharing the video with captions linking it to the Singapore Airlines incident, which left a 73-year-old British man dead and several others injured.
However, the footage doesn’t show the inside of that plane at all. Instead, it depicts a passenger flight from Kosovo to Switzerland in 2019.
We know this because Euronews itself reported on it at the time.
It was reported that 10 people were injured on that flight, operated by Bulgaria’s ALK Airlines, including the flight attendant who was thrown into the ceiling.
The incident happened about 20 minutes before the plane was due to land after it hit a pocket of severe turbulence.
A similar thing happened to the Singapore Airlines flight, but they are clearly separate events.
The plane bound for Singapore was battered by severe turbulence and suffered a sudden drop in altitude, causing passengers and items to hit the ceiling and be thrown about the aircraft.
Eyewitnesses say that certain passengers smashed into the overhead lockers and parts of the ceiling where lights and oxygen masks are stored, denting them and breaking straight through them.
Others had severe injuries, with blood pouring down their faces. In all, about 60 passengers were said to be injured, seven of which were in critical condition.
The Boeing plane, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, was diverted to Bangkok, Thailand, where it landed safely.
Some social media users have been quick to point the finger at Boeing, which has suffered huge blows to its reputation in recent years over various plane malfunctions.
However, investigations into what happened on the Singapore Airlines flight are ongoing, and as things stand, the incident was caused purely by the severe turbulence that the plane flew into.
