The custom-built racing truck, which was equipped with three jet engines and a combined 36,000 horsepower, crashed during the fireworks portion of the Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival in Battle Creek, Mich., about 50 miles southwest of Lansing. . Chris Darnell, the truck driver and a member of a family that had been part of the air show for many years, was killed, said Barbara Haluzka, the festival’s executive director. “Chris had a crash and the jet truck flipped over and, unfortunately, he didn’t live,” he said in a phone interview Saturday night. “All other details are 100% under investigation.” In a statement, Mr Darnell’s father, Neal Darnell, said the accident was “the result of a mechanical failure in the Jet Truck”. “Chris loved the Air Show business so much,” she said. “It was ‘Living the Dream,’ as he said.” Video from bystanders shows the truck barreling down a runway at Battle Creek Executive Airport at Kellogg Field in pursuit of the two planes, flames shooting out of its back. An excited announcer declares, “It’s coming fast! It’s coming very fast!” The planes involved were a Zivko Edge 540 piloted by Bill Stein and an MXS-RH piloted by Rob Holland, said festival board member Ryan Traver, who added that the pilots of the civilian aircraft were not injured. It was not immediately clear how fast the planes were traveling. A thick orange and black fireball can be seen in the foreground of the video and the vehicle, called the Shockwave Jet Truck, disappears behind it and falls after coming out the other side. Gasps can be heard in the crowd as the truck smashes into pieces along the runway. Despite what it looks like in many of the videos, the fireball was fireworks and Mr. Darnell did not go through the flames, Ms. Haluzka said. “The shot is in the grass,” he said. “The jet truck is running down the runway. From the crowd side, it looks like he’s driving straight through the pyro. But it is not.” A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said that because the accident involved a truck and not a plane, the agency is not investigating. The Battle Creek Police Department, which is investigating, confirmed on Facebook the death of Mr. Darnell, 40, but said it had no further information about the crash. The department could not immediately be reached for comment. The vehicle was owned by Darnell Racing Enterprises. Phone and email messages left for the company were not immediately returned Saturday night. The truck was described on one website as being able to reach speeds in excess of 350 mph and as “the most powerful truck in the world,” with three engines providing 21,000 pounds of thrust. “This is truly an assault on all your senses with massive flames coming out of the 3 jet engines after burn, fire shooting from the smoke stacks, intense heat, deafening noise and SPEED!” the website said. Mr Traver said Mr Darnell’s act involved fireworks but could not say whether this had anything to do with the crash. Several years ago, Mr. Traver donned a fire suit and rode the Shockwave, a ride he called “a heckuva experience.” “It’s just unreal to be in a jet-powered vehicle and go from zero to 300 that fast,” he said. “It’s not like it’s a car on a track, where you slowly get to top speed. It’s zero at top speed.”
