Fact Check: Image of Afghan aircraft stashed inside a truck dates back to 2017
A picture of an aircraft stashed inside a truck is circulating on social media. Users this is how a plane is being smuggled from Afghanistan into Pakistan.
By Newsmeter Network
Hyderabad: A picture of an aircraft stashed inside a truck is circulating on social media. Users this is how a plane is being smuggled from Afghanistan into Pakistan.
"Trafficking airplanes by truck to Pakistan. Welcome to the Pakistani-occupied Afghanistan," reads the caption.
Fact Check
The claim is false.
NewsMeter noticed several users have commented on the viral tweet. It is an old image of an Afghan military aircraft that had crash-landed in central Afghanistan.
Taking that as a clue, and with the help of keyword search, we found an old tweet by journalist Ehsanullah Amiri from his verified handle dated October 3, 2017.
"The newly appointed Daikundi governor has made such a landing. Let's see how other things go with him. Welcome to central Afghanistan," he tweeted.
We noticed the registration number,-YA12303- on the plane's body. Using this and with the help of the Aviation Safety Network website that has a huge database on plane accidents around the world, we found all details about the airplane seen in the viral image.
According to this data, the aircraft, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan with registration number "YA12303", was operated by the Afghan Air Force. It suffered substantial damage in an accident at Nili Airport in Afghanistan's Daikundi Province in October 2017.
Further, the same incident was reported on "Tolo News" on October 3, 2017. No casualties were reported, but the plane sustained serious damage. Later, the damaged plane was shifted out from the accident spot with the help of a truck.
Hence, the claim is false.
