Hours after a Jeju Air plane crash-landed and burst into flames, killing 179 people on board in the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil, a photo of an aircraft’s burnt out fuselage was shared in social media posts that falsely claimed it showed the wreckage. The photo in fact shows the remains of a Japan Airlines plane that was engulfed in flames after it collided with a coast guard aircraft in January 2024.
The photo was shared on Facebook on December 30, 2024, captioned “Tragic Plane Crash in South Korea”.
“More than 100 lives lost after a Jeju Air flight crash-landed at Muan International Airport. Thoughts and prayers for the victims and their families,” the caption continued.
The photo, which shows the burned husk of a passenger jet on the side of a runway, was shared a day after the deadly Jeju Air crash (archived link).
Jeju Air Flight 2216 from Thailand crashed while attempting an emergency belly landing, smashing into a wall and bursting into flames. All but two of the 181 passengers and crew aboard were killed.
South Korea has ordered a “comprehensive inspection” of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country’s carriers (archived link).
US air safety officials and staff from the beleaguered aircraft maker joined investigators probing the worst air disaster on South Korean soil, which officials initially blamed on a collision with birds.
Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on January 1, 2025
The same photo was shared alongside similar captions elsewhere on Facebook here, here and here, with commenters on the posts appearing to believe it showed the wreckage of the Jeju Air crash.
“So sad. What a tragedy,” one user wrote.
Another commented: “What a horrific crash.”
The photo, however, is unrelated to the accident.
Japan plane collision
A reverse image search on Google led to the same photo used in an article titled “How Japan Airlines crew led 367 passengers to safety from a burning plane”, which was published by global news agency Reuters on January 4, 2024 (archived link).
The photo’s caption read: “An aerial view shows burnt Japan Airlines’ (JAL) Airbus A350 plane after a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, Japan January 3, 2024, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS.”
Five of the six crew on the smaller coast guard aircraft died in the incident but all 379 people on the Japan Airlines jet were evacuated before it was engulfed in flames (archived link).
Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo used in the false post (left) and in the Reuters article (right):
Screenshot comparison of the photo used in the false post (left) and in the Reuters article (right)
The photo was also used in similar reports by the South China Morning Post and the Guardian newspapers (archived here and here).
A closer analysis of the photo shows the plane bears the registration “JA13XJ” on its right wing, which tracking sites Flightradar24 and Plane Spotters identify as belonging to the Japan Airlines Airbus A350 aircraft involved in the collision at Haneda Airport (archived here and here).
AFP has previously debunked misinformation around plane crashes here and here.
