Does video show oil tanker drive in front of a landing aircraft? Fact Check

ByCraig Haley

A video of a “failed terrorist attack” where terrorists apparently attempted to destroy an aircraft by driving a fuel tanker into its landing space is spreading online.

In the video, the aircraft pulls up just in time, just missing the tanker.

FALSE

The video is spreading online attached to a number of captions, most of which claim the video shows a failed terrorist attack, with many of the most popular versions attributing the incident to Algeria.

Terrorist attack in Algeria, which fails to work because of the pilot’s immense skill

However the video doesn’t show an attempted terrorist attack. In fact, the video was taken from the computer game Grand Theft Auto 5, where a simulation shows an oil tanker, bearing the fictitious oil brand RON, drive in front of landing plane.

While many can easily dismiss the video has simulated, it seems there are plenty of others that have taken the video at face value, as it has seen tens of thousands of retweets online. One of those retweets was from Pakistani politician Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, secretary general for Pakistan Awami Tehreek, who retweeted the video with the caption

Narrow escape of an aircraft which could have ended in a great disaster. Miraculous save by the pilot’s presence of mind.

Gandapur soon realised his error and later deleted his tweet.

However, extremely popular versions of the video still exist, including one posted by the notoriously unreliable Physics-astronomy.org Twitter channel that is known for publishing a variety of clickbait, misinformation and general nonsense.