Fact-Check: Old video of Tejas aircraft crash falsely shared as recent. Here are the facts.

A video has recently surfaced on the social media platform X(formerly Twitter) showing a Pilot ejecting safely before the jet plane crash. Some Pak-based handles have shared the video, claiming it to be recent.

An X handle named Tactical Tribune posted this video and wrote; “ndia’s LCA Tejas jet Crash video. Pilot ejected long before anything happened and the aircraft crashed near a boys hostel. 4th strongest Air Force? Really?”

Another X handle named War analyst also shared this video on X and made a similar claim.

Fact-Check

In the probe, the DFRAC’s team found the video dated back to March 12, 2024.

We reverse-searched the keyframes from the viral video on google and found the extended version of this video on the X handle of Republic with the title: “Video Shows Pilot Ejecting Safely Moments Before Tejas Aircraft Crash In Jaisalmer”. The video was posted on Mar 13, 2024.

Investigating further, we also came across some reports from The Economic Times, Deccan Herald, and NDTV, published in March 2024. The reports covering this incident cited that an Indian Air Force’s LCA Tejas aircraft crashed near Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer, with the pilot safely ejecting. This marks the first crash involving the jet since its inaugural flight 23 years ago. The crash in Jaisalmer is a significant event in the aircraft’s history, which began with its first test flight in 2001.

The Tejas is a domestically developed supersonic aircraft used by the Indian military, succeeding the ageing Mig 21 fighter jets. It is the lightest and smallest multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft in its category, designed to accommodate various types of weaponry.

Apparently, no other Tejas plane crash has been reported after this incident.

Conclusion

DFRAC’s fact-check clearly shows that the video of the Jet plane crash has been misleadingly shared on X. In reality, it dates back to March 2024, not the recent one.