Fact Check: Image of aircraft with trailing smoke not evidence of ‘chemtrails’

An old photo from a NASA study using smoke to visualize a commercial jet’s aerodynamics has been misleadingly captioned online to suggest it shows evidence of toxic “chemtrails.”

In the posts, the images have been flipped and cropped with the engines and nozzles circled alongside the caption: “Next time they tell you ‘It’s just contrails produced by engine exhaust, you’re a conspiracy theorist.’ If they have any logical sense make sure to show them these pictures.”

“Chemtrails” refers to a debunked conspiracy theory that says white trails left by aircraft, known as contrails, are actually chemicals intentionally doused on citizens for harmful purposes.

However, the original photograph, taken by NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) in 1974, is of a Boeing 747 jetliner (named “NASA 905”) taking part in a trailing vortex study. The photograph can be located in the photo collection of the Dryden Flight Research Center (later renamed AFRC) as well as on the AFRC website.

During the test, smoke generators were installed under the wings to provide a visual image of trailing air patterns, known as vortices. The purpose was to test the creation of vortices coming from the wings of the Boeing 747, a NASA spokesperson said via email.

According to the AFRC description, the study tested different configurations of spoilers to weaken the vortices trailing from aircraft, which could help reduce the gap between plane landings and take-offs, potentially easing air traffic jams.

“Vortices are wind trails that are generated by an aircraft in motion, and which can be of such hazardous intensities that they endanger other aircraft, especially small aircraft, in flight. At the time of the test (early 1970s), the increase of large aircraft in the airspace was causing in-flight hazards for general aviation pilots”, NASA’s spokesperson said.

The test used twelve smoke generators that could be switched on and off. Referring to the image, the spokesperson said: “At this particular point in the test, there are only six on.”

NASA’s spokesperson added that the test was not harmful to people on the ground: “There were no added chemicals in the oil that was burned. A small amount of oil is needed to create the white smoke.”

Reuters has addressed the “chemtrails” narrative on multiple occasions, including in the context of Sahara dust magnetism and the SKYCovion vaccine.

VERDICT

Misleading. The image is not evidence of “chemtrails”. It is a photograph of a jetliner equipped with six smoke generators for enhanced visibility for a 1974 aerodynamics test.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.