checkthis / Fact check
FalseThe viral video is actually from a 2018 flight from Amritsar to Delhi, not the recent Phuket flight, as fact-checked by The Quint.
▶The Reel we checked
@mydearexpress
✈️ Mid-Air Scare! An Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi encountered severe turbulence, causing the aircraft to briefly lose around 300 feet in altitude. The…
Watch the Reel on Instagram ↗🚩 What's concerning
Air India initially attributed the sudden altitude loss to severe turbulence, but subsequent investigations and manufacturer reports revealed it was caused by a cascade of hydraulic and flight-control system failures.
"Air India said the aircraft experienced a “brief in-flight turbulence-related event during cruise, resulting in a momentary change in altitude”." Times of India, 2026-08-05
"was preceded by a cascade of failures involving the aircraft’s hydraulic and flight-control systems, said multiple sources familiar with the matter contradicting the airline’s initial attribution of the incident to turbulence." The Hindu, 2026-08-10
Air India response: "Air India said the aircraft experienced a “brief in-flight turbulence-related event during cruise, resulting in a momentary change in altitude”." Times of India
Published fact-check
The Quint rated this video false. Read it →
What we checked
What the Reel doesn't tell you
- The altitude loss was actually triggered by a loss of hydraulic pressure in multiple systems, contradicting the airline's initial claims.
How it plays you
It wants you to think: "The terrifying mid-air drop was purely an unavoidable natural weather event."
While Air India initially blamed turbulence, subsequent investigations and a report from the aircraft manufacturer revealed the drop was actually caused by a cascade of failures in the plane's hydraulic and flight-control systems.
- Misleading footage: "Mid-Air Nightmare: Air India Flight Suddenly Drops 300 Feet". The Reel uses dramatic footage of passengers panicking during a flight to represent the August 2026 Phuket-Delhi incident. In reality, this footage is eight years old, captured during a completely different flight in 2018.
- Exaggeration: "Mid-Air Nightmare". It uses sensationalized framing to maximize panic and views, while omitting the critical technical failures under investigation.
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