On July 2, 2022, Chris Darnell, a member of the Darnell Racing Enterprise’s show team, was killed in a crash at an air show in Battle Creek, Michigan. He was driving a custom-built race truck that was modified with three jet engines. His speed was around 300 miles per hour when he crashed.
Darnell had been racing the truck against two airplanes until its parachute was deployed and engulfed the truck in flames. Suze Gusching, the media coordinator for the Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival, told the Battle Creek Enquirer that “[The driver] was doing his show and going down the runway. He passed by the explosion, and his truck had exploded.”
The Shockwave Jet Truck is a popular attraction at the air show, as it features 36,000 horsepower jet engines. The Field of Flight’s website calls it “truly an assault of all your senses with huge flames coming out of the 3 after-burning jet engines, fire shooting out of the smokestacks, intense heat, deafening noise, and SPEED!”
Darnell’s father, Neal, said that Chris was “living his dream” and loved the air show business. Darnell turned 40 years old just one month before the tragic crash and was an experienced motorsports promotion businessman who had spent years perfecting his drag racing skills. He had a bachelor’s degree in marketing and advertising and owned a truck accessory company called 4 Wheel Customs.
Ryan Traver, a member of the festival’s board, said that he was unsure if the crash had anything to do with the pyrotechnics that made up part of the act. Barbara Haluszka, the executive director of the festival, said, “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.”
When Traver rode in the Shockwave, he wore a fire-retardant suit and called the ride “…a heckuva experience.”
“It’s just unreal to be in a vehicle with a jet engine and to be propelled from zero to 300 that quickly,” he 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.”
Currently, the Battle Creek Police Department is investigating the crash. The department could not be immediately reached for comment.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/02/us/jet-truck-explosion-michigan-air-show.html
https://www.the-sun.com/news/5695926/chris-darnell-shockwave-jet-truck-driver/
https://www.the-sun.com/news/5689685/driver-killed-battle-creek-air-show/
https://fieldofflight.com/attractions/air-show/#shockwave
Darnell had been racing the truck against two airplanes until its parachute was deployed and engulfed the truck in flames. Suze Gusching, the media coordinator for the Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival, told the Battle Creek Enquirer that “[The driver] was doing his show and going down the runway. He passed by the explosion, and his truck had exploded.”
The Shockwave Jet Truck is a popular attraction at the air show, as it features 36,000 horsepower jet engines. The Field of Flight’s website calls it “truly an assault of all your senses with huge flames coming out of the 3 after-burning jet engines, fire shooting out of the smokestacks, intense heat, deafening noise, and SPEED!”
Darnell’s father, Neal, said that Chris was “living his dream” and loved the air show business. Darnell turned 40 years old just one month before the tragic crash and was an experienced motorsports promotion businessman who had spent years perfecting his drag racing skills. He had a bachelor’s degree in marketing and advertising and owned a truck accessory company called 4 Wheel Customs.
Ryan Traver, a member of the festival’s board, said that he was unsure if the crash had anything to do with the pyrotechnics that made up part of the act. Barbara Haluszka, the executive director of the festival, said, “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.”
When Traver rode in the Shockwave, he wore a fire-retardant suit and called the ride “…a heckuva experience.”
“It’s just unreal to be in a vehicle with a jet engine and to be propelled from zero to 300 that quickly,” he 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.”
Currently, the Battle Creek Police Department is investigating the crash. The department could not be immediately reached for comment.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/02/us/jet-truck-explosion-michigan-air-show.html
https://www.the-sun.com/news/5695926/chris-darnell-shockwave-jet-truck-driver/
https://www.the-sun.com/news/5689685/driver-killed-battle-creek-air-show/
https://fieldofflight.com/attractions/air-show/#shockwave
