One dead in truck explosion at Battle Creek, Michigan air show

One person was killed at a Michigan air show Saturday when his jet-fueled semi-truck exploded during a horrific pyrotechnic accident.

The male driver was racing two planes at around 1:10 pm during the Field of Flight Air Show at Battle Creek Field, hitting speeds of up to 300 miles an hour. But when he released the parachute from his “Shockwave Jet Truck,” as he was passing the area where the pyrotechnic display was set off, it burst into flames and blew up, WWMT reported.

Spectators at the Fourth of July weekend extravaganza watched in disbelief, some shouting “No!” once the vehicle exploded.

“He was doing his show and going down the runway,” said Suze Gusching, media relations for Field of Flight. “He passed by the explosion, and his truck had exploded.”

The Battle Creek Fire Department, Battle Creek Police Department, and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating. Authorities had yet to release the name of the driver, but local cops confirmed he died.

The rest of the air show was postponed, according to USA Today.

The Shockwave Jet Truck, which is outfitted with three jet engines of a type used in Navy planes, is part of the Darnell Racing Enterprise’s show team. Based in Springfield, Missouri, the team’s three trucks have appeared at shows across the U.S.