Performer Dies in Airshow Accident

Shockwave Jet Truck performer Chris Darnell was killed over the weekend in an event in Michigan.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, July 05, 2022 at 12:16 PM ET

Verified

Darnell was driving the Shockwave Jet Truck at the time of the accident. [Courtesy: Shockwave]

Key Takeaways:

Chris Darnell, 40, was killed in an accident involving the Shockwave Jet Truck at the Field of Flight Air Show in Battle Creek, Michigan.
The fatal incident occurred during a high-speed stunt and is suspected to have been caused by a mechanical failure, specifically a rear tire malfunction.
Darnell was an experienced driver with a lifelong involvement in motorsports, sharing the driving duties of the jet truck with his father.

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An airshow stunt involving a jet truck and pyrotechnics went terribly wrong Saturday in Michigan, killing the truck’s driver, Chris Darnell. A mechanical failure is suspected as the cause of the accident.

Darnell, 40, was driving the Shockwave Jet Truck at the Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival in Battle Creek, Michigan, when the accident happened. The act calls for the truck, traveling in excess of 300 mph, to race a jet down the runway.