Driver of Shockwave Jet Truck dies as two planes crash at 300 mph after his vehicle overtook a giant explosion and burst into flames
- A truck driver dies after his Shockwave jet truck explodes and engulfed in flames
- The truck collided with two planes traveling at 300 km / h at the Battle Creek air show in Michigan on Saturday shortly after 1 p.m.
- It looks like an explosion happened in front of the truck, which went through it and then caught fire.
- Chris Darnell is listed as the driver of the Shockwave Jet Truck on the company’s website
- His brother Neal, who drives the Flash Fire Jet Truck, declined to comment when Daily Mail.com reached out.
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A driver died after his jet truck was engulfed in flames when he released his parachute while speeding at 300 km / h.
The driver died after the “pyrotechnic” event at the Battle Creek air show in Michigan on Saturday after 1 p.m., police confirmed shortly thereafter.
Eyewitnesses say the Shockwave jet truck crashed into two planes traveling at 300 km / h. When the driver deployed his parachute, the truck was apparently shrouded by flames and a large black plume of smoke.
‘[The driver] was doing his show and going down the runway, ” Suze Gusching, Field of Flight Media Relations Officer, told the Battle Creek Enquirer. “He passed by the explosion and his truck exploded.”
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A driver has died after his Shockwave jet truck exploded after exploding the parachute in Battle Creek, Michigan
The plane pilots flew through the smoke but looked unharmed
The Shockwave jet truck is seen at the 2018 Great New England Air and Space Show Media Day at Westover Air Force Base
Chris Darnell (pictured) is listed as the Shockwave’s manager on the company’s website. It has not been confirmed that he is the one who died
Video of the incident shows a large explosion taking place just before the truck hit it. When the vehicle flew from the other side, it slowed down considerably and was covered under dense smoke.
Chris Darnell is listed as the driver of the Shockwave Jet Truck on the company’s website. His brother Neal, who drives the Flash Fire Jet Truck, declined to comment when Daily Mail.com reached out.
Witnesses can be heard saying ‘ohh’ as they realized the situation had just gotten worse and the announcer asked people to ‘stay back’ while emergency crews assisted the scene.
The Battle Creek Fire and Police Departments and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.
A shockwave truck features three Pratt & Whitney J34-38 jet engines, originally used by the U.S. Navy’s T2 Buckeys plans, which means it delivers 36,000 horsepower and 21,000 pounds of thrust
The truck can reportedly reach more than 350 mph, according to the Battle Creek Enquirer.
The Darnell Racing Enterprise, which owns the truck, also owns the Aftershock Jet Fire truck and the Flash Fire Jet truck.
The air show was scheduled to take place from June 30 to July 4, but has currently been postponed due to the accident. The event, which took place at the airport, was largely to celebrate the Air Force’s 75th anniversary.
The truck collided with two planes, which allegedly drove around 300 mph
Police confirmed the incident on their Facebook page