I had this video forwarded to me, and have to say that initially I was stunned.

"Man!  This pilot is one lucky guy!" 

But then I immediately began to wonder, why didn't I see this on the news - like a billion times?  I mean, if a camera happens to capture a horse running loose on the highway, all the major networks seem to carry it on the 5:00 news.  But this?  I hadn't seen it on a single channel.









So after a second look (and third), I have to admit my "awe" turned more into "Ahhhh... I think they're trying to pull a fast one on us."  And I'm clearly not the only one who thinks so.  In addition to a few glaring physics inconsistencies (If you have only one wing left that is providing lift, wouldn't the plane roll toward the side without a wing - not away?  And wouldn't the plane receive at least some damage from a rough landing like that?) - there is also some cosmetic issues with shadows that don't match, and a change in the appearance of the plane during different parts of the video.  As a result, it seems that just as many people have spent time creating videos to dispute the authenticity of the video, as have viewed it -- as you can see below.





So who would spend so much time creating a video that can pretty easily be proven to be a hoax?  The little company who's name appears on the wings of the plane... that's who.  This is viral video marketing at it's best.  Hundreds of thousands of people viewing a video once, twice (three times) - and then forwarding it to their friend so they can check it out too.  Who cares if people buy into it, or claim it as a fake?  As long as they keep talking about it, and looking at it.  The fact is, the company just got a lot of indirect marketing press for the cost of a homemade video, and the time it took to upload it to YouTube.



Genius.