Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

‘Gender reveal’ party leads to plane crash

Pilot and passenger unhurt in latest stunt gone wrong, reports say

Emily S. Rueb
Saturday 09 November 2019 15:58 GMT
Comments
Gender reveal causes wildfire that burned 47,000 acres

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

In recent years, expectant parents have gone to extreme lengths to create splashy, Instagrammable moments to announce the sex of their child.

Some of the celebrations, however, have ended in calamity: a 45,000-acre forest fire, a flaming car, a deadly explosion.

And now, a plane crash could be added to that list, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

A crop-dusting plane that dumped hundreds of gallons of pink water over a field in Turkey, Texas, crashed to the ground, according to safety board documents.

No major injuries were reported.

The pilot, Raj Horan, had been “conducting a gender reveal flight for a friend” when, after releasing about 350 gallons of water, the single-seat plane “got too slow” and stalled, according to records.

A passenger, identified as Jennifer Harrell, sustained minor injuries, according to the incident report.

The aircraft, which struck the ground and flipped on its back, sustained substantial damage.

Attempts to reach Ms Harrell and Mr Horan on Friday were not successful.

The pilot told investigators there were “no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the craft”.

Cultural researchers have traced the origins of the so-called gender reveal party to the late 2000s.

But those early attempts feel almost quaint by today’s standards.

Despite the possibility of attracting backlash for reinforcing gender stereotypes and schadenfreude should things go wrong, some couples have felt that confetti or cake sprinkles are not flashy enough to deliver their messages.

Car bursts into flames in gender reveal stunt

Last month, an Iowa couple trying to create a device that could shoot coloured powder into the air inadvertently built a pipe bomb that killed one of their guests.

A day later, authorities in the state investigated another explosion of a store-bought “gender reveal kit”, according to The Associated Press.

On Australia’s Gold Coast, a black car was rigged to spew thick clouds of blue smoke.

But after drifting slowly and spinning its wheels on the road, the car burst into flames. The driver managed to escape.

In 2018, a man shot a rifle at a target containing a highly explosive chemical mixed with colourful powder packets that were intended to create a pink or blue cloud.

The resulting explosion, however, sparked a massive fire that took firefighters a week to extinguish and burnt more than 45,000 acres in Arizona.

The man who shot the rifle, a Customs and Border Protection agent, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour violation of U.S. Forest Service regulations and agreed to pay $220,000 in restitution.

The New York Times

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in