A B-52 bomber crashed on June 15 at Edwards Air Force Base in California, resulting in the loss of all eight lives on board. The cause of the accident is under investigation, a process that may take up to six months to complete. However, some social media users have begun sharing fake images claiming to show the scene of the crash.
Investigation into Fake Images
A Facebook post from June 15 included a collage of images purporting to show a military plane taking off while on fire, a mid-air explosion, a destroyed plane on the ground, and responders at the scene. The caption read, ‘B-52 nuclear-armed bomber crashes at Edwards AFB – 8 confirmed dead as training mission turns tragic.’ An Instagram post from June 16 also reported on the crash, sharing images of a sooty and crumbled plane.
Edwards Air Force Base has not released any images of the incident. An AI-detection tool concluded that the photos in the Facebook post were ‘99.5% likely to be AI-generated’ and probably generated by ChatGPT Images 2.0. The same tool found that the images in the Instagram post were around 99% ‘likely to be AI-generated’ and also likely generated by ChatGPT Images 2.0.
Open AI’s image verification tool confirmed that all submitted images were generated with OpenAI tools, except for one image of a fire truck next to a plane bursting in flames. This image was found to be similar to one shared in 2016 by KUAM-TV News in Guam after a B-52 bomber crashed at a U.S. Air Force base there.
Response from Authorities
Col. James Hayes, deputy commander for the 412 Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, described the June 15 flight as ending in an ‘unrecoverable crash’ that was ‘unsurvivable.’ The wreckage was so severe that the plane was barely recognizable, according to CNN.
Aerial footage of the scene appeared to show virtually nothing left of the aircraft except ash, as reported by The Associated Press and ABC7. Other social media users shared footage of a different B-52 bomber crash from three decades ago, which received over a million views.
Original reporting: WPBF West Palm Beach — read the source article.
