Hoax: Fuel Dump video on Facebook [Flight BA244 from Buenos Aires to London]

Mick West

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On Tuesday September 30th, 2014, flight BA244 from Buenos Aires, Argentina to London, UK, was diverted to Sao Paulo shortly after departure, due to an unusual odor in the cabin. As the 777 was fully loaded with fuel for the long flight, it was unable to immediately land, as it was over-weight. So the plane had to dump fuel until it reached a safe landing weight. This is normal procedure, and perfectly legal. The fuel evaporates before reaching the ground, and breaks down in the atmosphere.


(Actual flight tracked down by @Trailblazer )

This fuel dump was captured both by Chris Bovey, a passenger in the plane, and by a plane-spotter on the ground in São Roque (about 40 miles from the airport). Bovey posted the video of the fuel dump on Facebook with little context, just the joking description:"I filmed this on a plane, what the fuck are they spraying from the airplane wing?" This was immediately seized upon as evidence of "chemtrails" - despite it looking exactly like every other 777 fuel dump video out there. Here's the result of a Google Image Search for 777 fuel dump:


[Update #1] When Bovey arrived back in the UK, he continued the joke, claiming he was detained in a holding cell for 8 hours (but somehow he still able to post to Facebook). This continued to fuel the conspiracy speculation.

[Update #2] Bovey appeared on the David Icke radio show "Volcania", and confessed that he simply posted the video as a joke, and that it was just a normal fuel dump, and that the "detained 8 hours" post was a hoax. He also stated that he did not believe in the "chemtrail" theory, which he felt was a distraction from real issues, and that this was all a good example of why people should check things before sharing them on social media.

Bovey's explanation/confession starts at 2:10



[This post is a summary of the information in the thread below, the original first post follows]
 
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Hi guys. This is my first post here so hello to you all :D

I've come here specifically to get some feedback regarding a video posted by a friend of a friend on Facebook.



As my knowledge of these things is somewhat limited I figured this forum would be a great place to get some information. Speculation is of course it's "chemtrails" although a more reasoned argument is that it's a fuel dump, although someone on the thread has suggested that it's not in the correct position for this.

I would be greatly interested to hear your thoughts as I'm not convinced by the "chemtrails" conspiracy at all.
 
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Hi guys. This is my first post here so hello to you all :D

I've come here specifically to get some feedback regarding a video posted by a friend of a friend on Facebook.



As my knowledge of these things is somewhat limited I figured this forum would be a great place to get some information. Speculation is of course it's "chemtrails" although a more reasoned argument is that it's a fuel dump, although someone on the thread has suggested that it's not in the correct position for this.

I would be greatly interested to hear your thoughts as I'm not convinced by the "chemtrails" conspiracy at all.


It's a fuel dump. It's in the right position, although it varies a bit from plane to plane. Looks like a 777 Here's another example with more context:


and:
 
If you do a search of "airline fuel jettison" I think you'll see the position matches many of images.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=airliner fuel jettison

Actually they don't, at least in the search you gave, the first three close-up images that show up show an a340 style fuel dump pipe in the flap fairing (or more accurately the anti-shock bodies)
upload_2014-10-1_7-2-51.png

And the Wikipedia page only shows this type (both pics of an A340)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_dumping

So it's not entirely unreasonably that someone could get the idea that all fuel dumps come from here - they might even think the "pods" are fuel tanks.,
 
Actually they don't, at least in the search you gave, the first three close-up images that show up show an a340 style fuel dump pipe in the flap fairing (or more accurately the anti-shock bodies)
upload_2014-10-1_7-2-51.png

And the Wikipedia page only shows this type (both pics of an A340)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_dumping

So it's not entirely unreasonably that someone could get the idea that all fuel dumps come from here - they might even think the "pods" are fuel tanks.,

In the responses on that FB page is a person who confuses the pylon drains with the fuel dump system. There seems to be no limit to the misunderstandings available on these issues.
 
It looks like British Airways seating, and it looks like a 777. And based on his Facebook statuses, the person who posted the video has just been in Buenos Aires (and lives in the UK).

upload_2014-10-1_19-13-16.png



So, assuming the video is recent, I think I've solved it.

Flight BA244 from Buenos Aires to London Heathrow yesterday landed in Sao Paulo instead. Presumably some kind of emergency.

upload_2014-10-1_15-46-36.png

http://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/ba244/#47581cf

So fuel dump it is. The plane had only flown about 1,000 miles of the planned 7,000-mile route, so it would have been too full of fuel to land safely.



Edit: Yes, here we go...

http://www.thebasource.com/british-airways-b777-200er-g-ymmb-ba244-sao-paulo-technical-diversion/

upload_2014-10-1_15-33-27.png

British Airways Boeing 777-236ER G-YMMB operating BA244 Buenos Aires – London Heathrow diverted to Sao Paulo this afternoon due to a technical issue. Passengers have been accommodated overnight.
Content from External Source
Now, why would this person post this video as something "suspicious" but fail to mention that he had landed several thousand miles short of his intended destination?

I don't have permission to post on that Facebook page, but perhaps somebody could pass this information on there?
 
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Actually they don't, at least in the search you gave, the first three close-up images that show up show an a340 style fuel dump pipe in the flap fairing (or more accurately the anti-shock bodies)

Hmmm google is a finicky beast. I clicked the "images" link (4th item down your presented list) and quite a few appear to be jettisoning from the same area of the wing while the overall view shows the positions are varied, as you say. I think the point I wanted to make is that someone claiming it's coming from the wrong position (therefore conspiracy proved) is bunk.

I don't have permission to post on that Facebook page, but perhaps somebody could post this on there?
It won't let me comment either.
 
Now, why would this person post this video as something "suspicious" but fail to mention that he had landed several thousand miles short of his intended destination?

Maybe he was just trolling his more imaginative friends :) Given that he was diverted to Sao Paulo 13 hours ago, and he's heading to Devon, UK, he's going to be still in transit somewhere.
 
Maybe he was just trolling his more imaginative friends :) Given that he was diverted to Sao Paulo 13 hours ago, and he's heading to Devon, UK, he's going to be still in transit somewhere.
And meanwhile that video has been shared 1,690 times so far... :rolleyes:
 
News report linked from that thread:

http://g1.globo.com/sao-paulo/notic...so-de-emergencia-no-aeroporto-de-cumbica.html

Approximate translation:

In a statement, British Airways apologised "to passengers of flight BA244 that had to be redirected to Sao Paulo" on Tuesday. "Safety is our priority and, as a precaution, the captain decided to divert the aircraft so that our engineers could investigate an odour detected in the cabin," it added.
Content from External Source
 
Thank you guys. I can't post either as he's a friend of a friend. I knew posting here was a good idea ;)

Do you have the opportunity to post on the FB page and correct anyone's misconceptions?

Because, fuel jettison (or "dumping" in the vernacular) events are rare. And they certainly do not contribute to what is commonly misunderstood as the "chem"trail phenomenon. (The phenomenon of mis-identifying ordinary water-ice contrails as "chem"trails).
 
Do you have the opportunity to post on the FB page and correct anyone's misconceptions?

Because, fuel jettison (or "dumping" in the vernacular) events are rare. And they certainly do not contribute to what is commonly misunderstood as the "chem"trail phenomenon. (The phenomenon of mis-identifying ordinary water-ice contrails as "chem"trails).

I have messaged somebody on that page with a link to this thread. Hopefully he'll add a link...

Edit: done now :cool:
 
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It looks like British Airways seating, and it looks like a 777. And based on his Facebook statuses, he has recently been in Buenos Aires.

So, assuming the video is recent, I think I've solved it.

Flight BA244 from Buenos Aires to London Heathrow yesterday landed in Sao Paulo instead. Presumably some kind of emergency.

upload_2014-10-1_15-46-36.png

http://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/ba244/#47581cf

So fuel dump it is. The plane had only flown about 1,000 miles of the planned 7,000-mile route, so it would have been too full of fuel to land safely.



Edit: Yes, here we go...

http://www.thebasource.com/british-airways-b777-200er-g-ymmb-ba244-sao-paulo-technical-diversion/

upload_2014-10-1_15-33-27.png

British Airways Boeing 777-236ER G-YMMB operating BA244 Buenos Aires – London Heathrow diverted to Sao Paulo this afternoon due to a technical issue. Passengers have been accommodated overnight.
Content from External Source
Now, why would this person post this video as something "suspicious" but fail to mention that he had landed several thousand miles short of his intended destination?

I don't have permission to post on that Facebook page, but perhaps somebody could pass this information on there?
One of his friends, Craig Crawford is trying to explain fuel dumps in the thread. I was able to post a comment on his page, he just posted the link to this thread on Chris's video.
ChrisBovey.jpg
 
I saw those explanatory posts appearing, then being deleted. Wherever Chris is at the moment, he's having some fun deleting posts.
 
It now looks as though this (the video) was some sort of prank: in other words, the person posting it knew perfectly well what it showed but decided to have some fun with his friends.

A recent posting by one of them:

image.jpg

Presumably he is currently en route from São Paulo back to the UK.
 
In the responses on that FB page is a person who confuses the pylon drains with the fuel dump system. There seems to be no limit to the misunderstandings available on these issues.

I'm also seeing it posted that Ebola is now airborne and that is what is being sprayed, so yes, there IS no limit.
 
Well, I'd give him the benefit of the doubt and say it was probably meant to wind up his friends rather than go viral on the internet. But you never know.

To quote 4chan:

"Obvious Troll is Obvious"

If the responses on his page are put in that kind of a cryptic tone AND if there are counter arguments being deleted.. then he's either trolling for the lulz, or he's intentionally trying to quiet disagreement. Either way, its trolling.
 
he's either trolling for the lulz
Agree. He's a troll.

Guess he doesn't care how many psychologically disturbed people out there are aiming lasers at planes and inciting others to shoot pilots (and airplanes out of the sky) because of lies like his.
 
Agree. He's a troll.

Guess he doesn't care how many psychologically disturbed people out there are aiming lasers at planes and inciting others to shoot pilots (and airplanes out of the sky) because of lies like his.

All that remains is to see how far he carries it, how he exposes it, and what the reaction is to the exposure.
 
Agree. He's a troll.

Guess he doesn't care how many psychologically disturbed people out there are aiming lasers at planes and inciting others to shoot pilots (and airplanes out of the sky) because of lies like his.

Don't worry, he will expose it. He's making it pretty obvious now, and they are still lapping it up. Who knows, some people might end up learning something...
 
Don't worry, he will expose it. He's making it pretty obvious now, and they are still lapping it up. Who knows, some people might end up learning something...
how is it obvious? it isn't.

and it doesn't matter if he retracts it now, no one is gonna share his retraction. the only ones sharing his posts are the chemtrail people.

its completely irresponsible and dangerous.
 
how is it obvious? it isn't.

and it doesn't matter if he retracts it now, no one is gonna share his retraction. the only ones sharing his posts are the chemtrail people.

its completely irresponsible and dangerous.
I can see where you are coming from, but remember: when he edits the video description, the description will also be changed on every single Facebook wall that the video is shared on. That's how it works. So the real information will appear on about 12,000 walls, all at once. Quite effective.... :)
 
Like I said, I'm in two minds here. He has got half a million views, 11,000 shares and apparently has had "documentary makers and journalists" contacting him. He seems pretty anti-chemtrailer, so I think he might expose the gullibillity quite nicely. YMMV...
 
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Like I said, I'm in two minds here. He has got half a million views, 12,000 sahres and apparently has had "documentary makers and journalists" contacting him. He seems pretty anti-chemtrailer, so I think he might expose the gullibillity quite nicely. YMMV...
you guys expose the 'chemtrail gullibility' all the time and tons of people still believe the bunk.

and that's half a million people who will never see his updated explanation... people don't scroll backwards on their walls. besides his new add of involving the authorities will negate anything new he says as people will just think he 'made a deal with the PTB'.
 
you guys expose the 'chemtrail gullibility' all the time and tons of people still believe the bunk.

and that's half a million people who will never see his updated explanation... people don't scroll backwards on their walls. besides his new add of involving the authorities will negate anything new he says as people will just think he 'made a deal with the PTB'.
Yeah, but it doesn't matter what we say or think about it. It 'is what it is', to coin a phrase.
 
Yeah, but it doesn't matter what we say or think about it. It 'is what it is', to coin a phrase.

It's different things to different people. So you have to think of the aggregate long-term effect. The true believers just see it as more evidence, but then they don't really need any more evidence. Some people will see it as evidence for just how silly people like David Icke and Alex Jones are when they jump on the most trivially debunkable of hoaxes.
 
It's different things to different people. So you have to think of the aggregate long-term effect. The true believers just see it as more evidence, but then they don't really need any more evidence. Some people will see it as evidence for just how silly people like David Icke and Alex Jones are when they jump on the most trivially debunkable of hoaxes.

Yeah, but it's not anything we can control. "We" are not doing it, regardless of what CT people might think.
 
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