One person was killed in a truck explosion during an Independence Day air show in Michigan.
The explosion took place during the Field of Flight show at Battle Creek, Michigan’s Executive Airport at Kellogg Field. A video from the event shows the “Shockwave Truck” speeding along a runway with a propeller plane flying directly above it before the truck catches fire and drives directly into an explosion. The truck can then be seen flipping four times.
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The truck reportedly attempted to deploy its parachute as it raced the two planes.
The Battle Creek Police Department confirmed that the truck was performing in its “pyrotechnic portion” of the show before it exploded.
“The Battle Creek Fire Department, Battle Creek Police Department, and Federal Aviation Administration are at the scene investigating,” the department wrote in a Facebook post.
The show is meant to commemorate the Air Force’s 75th anniversary on Sept. 18. Remaining events and activities were suspended as a result of the incident.
The department later revealed the identity of the driver as Chris Darnell, who was 40 years old. Darnell and his family run Darnell Racing Enterprises, a company based in Springfield, Missouri, which owned the custom-built Shockwave racing truck.
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A biography for the younger Darnell on the company’s website described the deceased driver as having been involved in motorsports “his entire life.”
Darnell was one of three drivers, including his father, for the Darnell Racing Enterprises team. The team, according to their website, owns three jet trucks and performs at shows across the country. Darnell’s wife and mother-in-law also help run the team.
