Former Airline Pilot Debunks Viral Clip of Plane 'Fighting Fire' in the Sky
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A TikTok video claiming to show a plane "fighting fire" in the sky in Greece has gone viral. However, an aviation expert says the aircraft was not on fire and was instead experiencing a manageable mechanical issue.
The scene was captured by TikTok user @corekvas and has garnered 10.1 million views since it was shared on August 17. The video's caption simply reads: "This just happened." According to a hashtag shared with the video, the footage was captured on the Greek island of Corfu, though the specific airline and flight is unknown.
"I was just chilling and then realized a plane was literally fighting fire in front of me," text overlaid on the clip reads, as the footage zooms in on an aircraft with flashes of fire coming from one of its engines.
Despite the dramatic appearance, the phenomenon has a more grounded explanation.
Former airline pilot Dan Bubb, who is a historian and professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told Newsweek that the plane was not battling a blaze but rather "experiencing a compressor stall."
"Part of the way turbine/turbojet engines work is through compressed air that comes in contact with fuel and an ignition source," he explained. "When that airflow is disrupted, it results in what we call a compressor stall."
"Common hallmarks of compressor stalls are flashes of light or fire coming out of the engine, and the accompanying sound of what is described as a 'machine gun' sound," Bubb said. "In this situation, pilots shut off the fuel to the engine, contact air traffic control, and return to the airport. Naturally, it is alarming to passengers—and spectators—but it is a situation for which pilots are highly trained."
According to Skybrary, an online aviation safety resource developed in collaboration with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies, a compressor stall occurs when "the aerodynamic stall of aerofoils (compressor blades) within the compressor" disrupts the normal airflow. This can cause the airflow to slow down, stagnate, or even reverse, potentially resulting in backfire-like sounds and visible flames from the engine inlet or exhaust.
A stock image of a plane in the sky with one of its engines appearing to be on fire.
A stock image of a plane in the sky with one of its engines appearing to be on fire.
Getty
Skybrary notes that a compressor stall can be either a transient issue that resolves itself or a sustained malfunction that requires immediate pilot intervention. The stalls result in a loss of thrust and, if prolonged, may cause engine damage or failure.
Contributing factors for compressor stalls can include bird strikes and other forms of foreign object damage, worn or contaminated engine components, in-flight icing, extreme flight maneuvers or improper engine handling.
The viral video comes as the total demand for air travel was reported to be up by 5 percent in May, compared to the same month in 2024, with a record load factor—the percentage of available seats filled by paying passengers—for international flights in the same month, the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) reported in June.
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
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