BATTLE CREEK, MI – The fatal accident Saturday afternoon during the Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival was caused by a mechanical failure, according to the father of the man who died.
Neal Darnell attributed the Saturday, July 2, fiery crash of a Shockwave Jet Truck that killed the driver, his son Chris Darnell, to a mechanical failure, he said in a Facebook post that evening.
Neal Darnell said Chris Darnell was his youngest son and had only recently turned 40.
“We are so sad,” Neal Darnell wrote in a Facebook post Saturday evening. “Just one month ago Chris turned 40. He was so well loved by everyone who knew him. Chris so loved the air show business. He was ‘Living the dream,’ as he said.”
Neal Darnell said he will continue to provide updates as the Shockwave and Flash Fire Jet Trucks team gets them. According to the team’s website, Neal and Chris Darnell shared driving duties of the Shockwave Jet Truck and the Flash Fire Jet Trucks.
Funeral arrangements will be announced sometime next week, Neal Darnell said.
Related: Jet truck driver, 40, dies in Battle Creek air show accident
Battle Creek police say Chris Darnell was driving the truck powered by a jet engine down the runway at the Battle Creek Executive Airport around speeds of 300 mph when the fatal incident occurred.
Video of the performance shows Chris Darnell’s truck outpacing one of the airplanes overhead and about to overtake another when his truck catches fire and appears to roll.
While the remaining performances at Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival were canceled Saturday, they will continue Sunday.
The Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival is a five-day festival that started June 30 and ends July 4. It features an airs show, music, fireworks, hot air balloons and more.
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