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A video containing an audio conversation supposedly between a Spirit 861 pilot and an air traffic controller went viral over the weekend. The clip was originally posted by a YouTube channel called KrispyFlights on Tuesday, April 8.
The clip began with the visuals of a Spirit aircraft on its way to land on the runway. It shortly cuts to Air Force One before continuing to show the movement of the Spirit flight.
The viral audio captured the pilot landing the Spirit 861 flight carrying a donor heart despite the air traffic controller's orders to divert its route as they were waiting for the President. KrispyFlights captioned the post, "Pilot IGNORES PRESIDENT to Save A Life." The audio did not mention the President's name.
As soon as the video made the rounds on social media, netizens began commending the pilot for choosing someone's life over every warning. Some lauded him as a "hero," suggesting he should get a raise.
Several people who have had experiences dealing with situations that involved organ donation left heartfelt messages for the pilot.
Regardless of the heartwarming act of the pilot described in the viral audio, the conversation never happened in reality. The account KrispyFlights, which has over 148K subscribers on YouTube, clarified in its bio:
"All content made is transformative and for entertainment purposes only."
The viral Spirit 861 audio is fabricated
In the viral conversation later found to be fabricated, an air traffic controller told the Spirit 861 pilot that he couldn't land his flight at the unnamed designated airport as the President was expected there. However, the Spirit 861 pilot told ATC:
"I'm carrying a donor heart to be delivered to the hospital ASAP."
The ATC responded:
"It doesn't matter Spirit. The VIP aircraft has the most priority right now. I guarantee you will be fired if you do this."
Despite the warning, the Spirit pilot stood by his decision to land his flight, asking the ATC if waiting for the President held more importance than saving a life. The ATC stuck to business and answered that his personal beliefs did not matter over rules, which the pilot was accused of breaking. The pilot replied without backing down:
"Rules are meant to be broken when someone's in need, even if it's against a President's needs."
The air traffic controller ordered the pilot to "divert" immediately. Otherwise, he would be arrested right after landing. The latter ignored the ATC's orders again, instead asking him to send some people to the runway to fetch the heart and get it to the hospital. The pilot's final words before the video ended were:
"I just saved a life."
Regardless of the stir it created on social media, the conversation in this viral audio is fabricated. KrispyFlights' page consists of similar videos, where fictional conversations take place between Spirit Airlines' pilots and ATC staff.
Some of the other fabricated conversations include the pilot ignoring the ATC's order to take off due to maintenance issues, the pilot refusing to hold his position on the runway as his son is about to be born, and the pilot ignoring a Tornado warning.
