“Shockwave” Jet Truck Crash at Battle Creek Michigan Ends in Fatality

With a top speed of 376 mph, the machine is known as “Shockwave” stood as the fastest jet-powered truck in the entire world until its devastating demise in Battle Creek, Michigan this past weekend.

Battle Creek Police gave a statement that the driver of Shockwave, Chris Darnell, 40, was behind the wheel of the truck, racing at speeds of 300 mph down the runway at the Battle Creek Executive Airport when an accident unfolded that would take his life. The incident occurred around 1:00 pm EDT on 7/2/22.

Police initially said that the truck failed during the pyrotechnic section of the display. Typically, during the show, Shockwave drives through a massive explosion that is prearranged. While initial reports said that this explosion caused the issue that resulted in the crash, later analysis of the video footage seems to determine that the incident stemmed from some sort of mechanical failure with the truck, possibly a tire going down, that happened before the pyrotechnics were set off.

Up Date: Cause Of Accident At Battle Creek Air Show Revealed – “Neal Darnell, the father of Chris Darnell, the jet engine-powered semi-truck driver who died during a performance at the Battle Creek air show, says the truck burst into flames after a blown tire ruptured the fuel tank”

Shockwave was born from a typical 1985 Peterbilt semi-truck that was then turned completely custom. The truck was powered by three Pratt & Whitney J34-48 engines combining for 9,000 lbs of thrust. The truck and its driver, Chris Darnell, were known for creating smiles at different events across the country. Thousands would watch in awe as this unbelievable feat of engineering was accomplished at incredible speeds in the blink of an eye. The truck was known quite well for its ability to go from 0 to 300 mph in about 11 seconds.

This time, YouTube creator, blancolirio gives us an idea of exactly what it was that made this truck tick and operate on such a high level during its runs. In the same video, he also gives us his rendition of what exactly went wrong to create the tragic events that occurred in Battle Creek during the July 2022 exhibition that would be Shockwave and Chris Darnell’s last.