A video showing the Learjet 60 plane crash has gone viral on social media platforms like X, sparking speculation about whether it is AI-generated.
The widely shared dashcam footage of the Palm Beach County crash is not AI-generated. It was recorded by Aki Kuusisto, a digital creator from West Palm Beach, who first shared the clip on Facebook. The footage uploaded by Kuusisto was dated November 1, 2026, and carried a caption that read:
“Plane crash in Palm Beach County, captured on dashcam.”
Kuusisto replied in the comments that “this was not quite what I had in mind when I installed the dash cam. Quite a day.” The footage was first posted on Facebook and then distributed by major outlets including the Associated Press, CNN and others.
PolitiFact, a nonprofit fact-checking website, investigated claims that it was “100% AI-generated” after imperfect tools like Hive Moderation flagged parts of circulated clips. PolitiFact found no manipulation in the original footage.
Continue reading for more details.
Fact-checkers debunk social media claims that Palm Beach Learjet 60 plane crash video is AI-generated
Fact-checkers and news outlets have thoroughly debunked claims that the viral dashcam video of the Palm Beach Learjet 60 crash is AI-generated.
Unverified social media claims that fact-checkers have debunked included a post on X, which read:
“HIVE DETECT says this video is AI generated. Whoops. Some random person just happened to be driving by with a rear facing dash cam and catches the “plane” crash? The cockpit audio is released within mere hours of the crash….when tf has that ever happened? If it walks like a duck…”
Another unverified claim shared in an X post read:
“#Breaking The Video You’re All Seeing From The “Plane” Crash Was 100% Ai Generated SOMEONE IS LYING TO US !!!!!! That Was Not An Airplane. Notice How The Ai Detector Only Detects Ai Generated Content From The “Plane” 00:03. Wake Up. Check On Your Neighbors & Friends.”
PBS reported that X posts show screen recordings of the clip being submitted to Hive Moderation, an AI-detection tool. However, fact-checkers like PolitiFact confirmed that the original video is authentic. When PolitiFact submitted the clip to Hive Moderation, the tool did not flag it as AI. Earlier flags appeared only on lower-quality and alternate versions.
According to a report in NBC News, the crash took place on November 1, 2026, and all 9 people on board (including 7 passengers and 2 crew members) died in the Learjet 60 crash. The plane crashed around 12:50 p.m. near the neighborhood of Cresthaven in Greenacres, Florida. The accident happened after the plane departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was en route to North Eleuthera, Bahamas.
The victims included Pilot Jeff Gregory, co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras; passengers Adam Robinson and Helen Sharp and their children Emma and Charlie. It also included Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr. Anita Maria Cetina was also one of the passengers, who was the nanny of Robinson’s children.
The families of the aforementioned seven victims shared a joint statement on Facebook, which read:
“With broken hearts, our families share that Adam Robinson and Helen Sharp, their children Emma and Charlie, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, and Anita Maria Cetina were among those lost aboard the flight that went down near Greenacres, Florida, on November 1.”
It added:
“Adam and Helen were devoted parents, and Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, were the light of their lives. Helen and Adam were the love affair that will last forever. Their warmth, generosity and gift for making people feel welcome touched so many lives. Their loss will be felt deeply by all those who loved them and who they loved in return.”
The statement further described Fehr and Reed as “full of joy and adventure,” and stated that they loved their people fiercely and without hesitation. From the moment the two met, they were completely devoted towards each other. Relatives noted that they “will miss them endlessly.”
Their nanny, Anita Maria, cared for Emma and Charlie “with tenderness and devotion,” and she was also a part of the family. The statement noted that she left “a legacy of unconditional love and devotion.”
