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False! Screengrab does not show Silverstone Air aircraft’s tyre on fire

In the month of October 2019, one of Kenya’s domestic airlines, Silverstone Air, experienced multiple incidents. 

On 11 October an aircraft veered off the runway while taking off at Wilson airport in Nairobi, an incident that was widely reported.

On 27 October, another Silverstone Air plane apparently collided with a smaller plane at the same airport. And on 28 October, a wheel fell off a Nairobi-bound plane during take-off. 

The incidents prompted an investigation by the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority.

The incidents have also fueled a string of false allegations about the airline. 

One recent post on Facebook claimed that a Silverstone Air plane’s tyre caught fire, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing at Wilson airport on 5 November.

A user shared a photo of a plane's tyre on fire on his timeline and on at least two public groups.



‘No such incident’


The airline clarified that no such incident had taken place, through their official Facebook page.

“We confirm that none of our aircraft has had such an incident as per the fake news circulating on social media… Safety is our top priority and will not be compromised, our services proceed normally as scheduled,” the statement said.

Screengrab from Moscow airport


A reverse image search of the photo of a burning plane tyre shows it was taken in 2013 during an emergency landing by a plane in Moscow, Russia.

A video shows the exact video from which the screengrab was taken. It shows passengers scrambling to safety from the plane.

According to Russian International Television Network, the Boeing 737-400 passenger plane’s landing gear caught fire just after landing in Moscow’s Vnukovo airport. – Dancan Bwire




 

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