On Saturday, July 2nd, the driver of a jet engine-powered truck died in a crash in Battle Creek, Michigan.
The truck was racing two airplanes at the Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival. The race wasn’t a competition but was more just to show off the custom-built truck equipped with three jet engines. These types of air shows with jet trucks happen 2-3 times a month across the United States.
Chris Darnell, who drove the truck and was part of a family that had been in the air show business for years, was killed after the truck crashed and flipped over.
Darnell’s father, Neal Darnell, is also in the business, and said the crash was “a result of mechanical failure on the Jet Truck.” He also stated that his son loved being in the Air Show business, and that he was “Living the Dream.”
The two airplanes were piloted by Bill Stein and Rob Holland, neither of which were injured, said Ryan Traver, a festival board member.
The accident was during the pyrotechnics section of the show, so the truck appeared to drive through a fireball. It come out on the other side crashing, and the truck broke into pieces.
However, it is unlikely that the fire caused any of this. Barbara Haluszka, the executive director of the festival, stated that “the pyro is on the grass. The jet truck is running on the runway. From the crowd’s side, it looks like he’s driving straight through the pyro. But he’s not.”
Darnell was more likely struggling with the high speed of the truck, called a Shockwave Jet Truck. “It’s just unreal to be in a vehicle with a jet engine and to be propelled from zero to 300 that quickly,” Traver said. “It’s not like it’s a car at a racetrack, where you’re slowly getting up to top speed. It’s zero to top speed.”
The truck was racing two airplanes at the Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival. The race wasn’t a competition but was more just to show off the custom-built truck equipped with three jet engines. These types of air shows with jet trucks happen 2-3 times a month across the United States.
Chris Darnell, who drove the truck and was part of a family that had been in the air show business for years, was killed after the truck crashed and flipped over.
Darnell’s father, Neal Darnell, is also in the business, and said the crash was “a result of mechanical failure on the Jet Truck.” He also stated that his son loved being in the Air Show business, and that he was “Living the Dream.”
The two airplanes were piloted by Bill Stein and Rob Holland, neither of which were injured, said Ryan Traver, a festival board member.
The accident was during the pyrotechnics section of the show, so the truck appeared to drive through a fireball. It come out on the other side crashing, and the truck broke into pieces.
However, it is unlikely that the fire caused any of this. Barbara Haluszka, the executive director of the festival, stated that “the pyro is on the grass. The jet truck is running on the runway. From the crowd’s side, it looks like he’s driving straight through the pyro. But he’s not.”
Darnell was more likely struggling with the high speed of the truck, called a Shockwave Jet Truck. “It’s just unreal to be in a vehicle with a jet engine and to be propelled from zero to 300 that quickly,” Traver said. “It’s not like it’s a car at a racetrack, where you’re slowly getting up to top speed. It’s zero to top speed.”
