Chris Darnell, the driver of a 350 mile per hour truck that was powered by jet engines, died after the vehicle, unfortunately, crashed while racing two airplanes at an air show in Michigan.
The custom built race truck had 3 jet engines stationed inside totaling 36,000 horsepower. This all went down at the Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival in Battle Creek, Michigan, about 50 miles southwest of the state capitol, Lansing.
Barbara Haluszka, the executive director of the show said Chris Darnell was a member of a family who had been a part of the air show business for many years. “Chris has a crash, and the jet truck flipped over, and, unfortunately, he did not live. All other details are 100 percent under investigation.” Neal Darnell, Chris’s father said, “The crash was a result of mechanical failure on the Jet Truck.” The custom built race truck had 3 jet engines stationed inside totaling 36,000 horsepower. Chris so loved the air show business. He was ‘living the Dream,’ as he said.”
Videos from bystanders show the incident taking place as an excited announcer reports, “He is coming fast! He is coming really fast!” The videos display the truck speeding down a runway with flames coming out the back of the vehicle. In the video, an orange and black fireball can be seen in the middle of the runway. The truck goes through, and once it emerges, it is tumbling like a washing machine and burning into large pieces. As it turns out, the fire was not on the runway, but the grass so the truck never actually went through it.
The truck was closely trailing two planes: a Zivko Edge 540 flown by Bill Stein, and a MXS-RH flown by Rob Holland. These pilots both remain unharmed. The speed they were traveling at remains unknown.
A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration said that because the incident did not involve an airplane, but instead a truck, the agency would not be investigating. The Battle Creek Police Department confirmed Mr. Darnell’s death on Facebook, but no more information was found.
Festival board member Ryan Traver said, “It’s just unreal to be in a vehicle with a jet engine and to be propelled from zero to 300 that quickly. 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. It’s a heck of an experience.”
The custom built race truck had 3 jet engines stationed inside totaling 36,000 horsepower. This all went down at the Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival in Battle Creek, Michigan, about 50 miles southwest of the state capitol, Lansing.
Barbara Haluszka, the executive director of the show said Chris Darnell was a member of a family who had been a part of the air show business for many years. “Chris has a crash, and the jet truck flipped over, and, unfortunately, he did not live. All other details are 100 percent under investigation.” Neal Darnell, Chris’s father said, “The crash was a result of mechanical failure on the Jet Truck.” The custom built race truck had 3 jet engines stationed inside totaling 36,000 horsepower. Chris so loved the air show business. He was ‘living the Dream,’ as he said.”
Videos from bystanders show the incident taking place as an excited announcer reports, “He is coming fast! He is coming really fast!” The videos display the truck speeding down a runway with flames coming out the back of the vehicle. In the video, an orange and black fireball can be seen in the middle of the runway. The truck goes through, and once it emerges, it is tumbling like a washing machine and burning into large pieces. As it turns out, the fire was not on the runway, but the grass so the truck never actually went through it.
The truck was closely trailing two planes: a Zivko Edge 540 flown by Bill Stein, and a MXS-RH flown by Rob Holland. These pilots both remain unharmed. The speed they were traveling at remains unknown.
A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration said that because the incident did not involve an airplane, but instead a truck, the agency would not be investigating. The Battle Creek Police Department confirmed Mr. Darnell’s death on Facebook, but no more information was found.
Festival board member Ryan Traver said, “It’s just unreal to be in a vehicle with a jet engine and to be propelled from zero to 300 that quickly. 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. It’s a heck of an experience.”
