Fact Check: Ahmedabad Air India plane crash scene? No, viral video is from Universal Studios Hollywood

Hyderabad: On June 12, an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner (Flight AI171) en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed shortly after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The tragedy claimed the lives of more than 240 people and triggered a wave of grief across the world.

Amid this backdrop, a video is making the rounds on social media, claiming to show visuals from the Ahmedabad crash site. In the clip, the wreckage of an aircraft is seen strewn across a residential-looking neighbourhood. The footage shows twisted metal, a destroyed fuselage, billowing smoke and crushed vehicles, creating the impression of a devastating plane crash.

The video is shot in such a way that it looks like the person with the camera was driving through the debris.

An Instagram user posted the video with the caption, “Ahmadabad air India crash.” (Archived)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video does not show the Ahmedabad crash site. The video was filmed on the crash set from the 2005 Hollywood film War of the Worlds, located at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Upon examining the comments under the Instagram post, we noticed a user had pointed out that the visuals were actually from Universal Studios in the United States.

Taking this clue forward, we performed a keyword search and found a YouTube video uploaded by a channel called Theme Park Connect on June 14, 2020, titled ‘Studio Tour - War of the Worlds Set | Universal Studios Hollywood (2020).’

The description of the YouTube video read: “Just beyond the Psycho House is an airplane crash site from Paramount Pictures’ War of the Worlds, directed by Steven Spielberg. The plane used for the crash site is an actual Boeing 747, which was cut into pieces and placed on the Universal backlot. The set still exists as part of the World-Famous Studio Tour.”

Here is the comparison of the YouTube video and the viral video.

We also found additional information on the studio tour website.

According to the website, Spielberg and his crew shot the crash scenes over three days in January 2005 on the Universal backlot. The production team purchased a decommissioned 747 aircraft for $60,000 and spent another $200,000 transporting and arranging the wreckage on the set using trucks, helicopters and a police escort.

The crash site is a permanent attraction on the Universal Studios tour and has been featured in numerous behind-the-scenes videos, tourist vlogs and Hollywood-themed content.

The viral video does not show the aftermath of the Ahmedabad Air India crash. It shows a movie set from the 2005 film War of the Worlds at Universal Studios Hollywood, which has been open to tourists for years. Therefore, the claim is false.