Fact Check: Three Indian Air Force aircraft crashed in a single day? No, here are the facts
A video has been circulating online, claiming it shows three IAF aircraft crashes in a single day.
By - Md Mahfooz AlamPublished on : 15 Nov 2025 5:45 PM IST
Claim:The video shows three IAF aircraft crashes in a single day.
Fact:The claim is misleading. While the second clip shows an Air Force training aircraft crash in Tamil Nadu on November 14, the first and third clips are from 2023 and 2022, respectively. Also, the third clip does not show an IAF aircraft crash.
An Indian Air Force (IAF) PC-7 Mk II trainer aircraft crashed near Tambaram, Chennai, on Thursday, November 14, during a routine training mission. The pilot ejected safely, and no damage to civilians, property or injuries to locals were reported.
Meanwhile, a video featuring three clips of aircraft crashes is being circulated by propaganda X handles from Pakistan, claiming three IAF aircraft crashed in a single day.
An X handle Tactical Tribune, currently withheld in India, shared the video with the caption, “Indian Air Force becomes the 1st Air Force in South Asia to lose 3 aircraft in a single day during peacetime.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found the claim misleading, as two of the videos are old.
Clip 1
A reverse image search of the clip’s keyframe led to the extended version of it published by The Tribune and Deccan Herald on December 4, 2023.
According to the media outlets, an Indian Air Force pilot and a trainee pilot died when a trainer aircraft of the IAF, Pilatus PC 7 Mk-II, crashed during a routine training sortie near Hyderabad in Telangana on December 4, 2023.
Clip 2
The reverse image search of keyframes of the second clip led to the extended footage of it posted by the News Agency PTI’s official X handle on November 14. The agency reported that an Air Force training aircraft crashed near Thiruporur in the Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu.
NDTV reported that the pilot ejected safely.
Clip 3
Finally, the reverse image search of the third clip’s keyframes directed us to an NDTV report featuring a screengrab of identical visuals published on February 26, 2022, titled “Trainee Pilot Dies In Telangana Plane Crash, Probe Ordered.”
According to the report, a woman trainee pilot, Mahima, died when an aircraft belonging to a private aviation academy crashed in Nalgonda district of Telangana.
Taking this lead, we conducted a keyword search and found an identical visual of an aircraft crash published in a video report by ETV Andhra Pradesh on February 26, 2022. We also found similar visuals in a video report published by TV9 Telugu on the same date.
Therefore, it is clear that the first and third clips are from 2023 and 2022, respectively, and the second video is of the recent Air Force training aircraft crash in Tamil Nadu on November 14. Also, the third clip does not show an IAF aircraft crash.
Hence, we conclude that the claim that three IAF aircraft crashed in a single day recently is misleading.
Claimed By:Social Media users
Claim Reviewed By:NewsMeter
Claim Source:X
Claim Fact Check:False
Fact:The claim is misleading. While the second clip shows an Air Force training aircraft crash in Tamil Nadu on November 14, the first and third clips are from 2023 and 2022, respectively. Also, the third clip does not show an IAF aircraft crash.
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