A pilot died Saturday after participating in a gender reveal party in Mexico in which the plane he was flying was apparently shot out of the sky by a confetti cannon.
In video footage posted on social media, the plane can be seen approaching a couple holding hands before a large display of balloons and a lighted sign spelling out “Oh Baby.” As the plane approaches, the couple is cascaded with a spray of pink smoke from the Piper PA-25-235 Pawnee triggering an eruption of confetti from a nearby cannon.
The puff of smoke from the explosion of confetti, however, appears to be too much for the low-flying plane, as its left wing bends upwards soon afterwards. As the pilot, identified as 32 year-old Luis Ángel N, attempts to pull away from the party guests below, the plane spirals out of control crashing behind a line of palm trees as oblivious guests continue to cheer the happy couple.
Pilot killed after his Piper PA-25 left wing failed at a gender reveal party in the town of San Pedro, Mexico. pic.twitter.com/6JILK7fsGm
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) September 3, 2023
The gravity of the situation was eventually noticed by a party goer who contacted emergency officials, the New York Post reported, citing a local outlet. The pilot was discovered by first responders in the wreckage of the plane before being transported to a local hospital for his injuries where he later died.
Social media users disagreed on what caused the plane’s wing to fail with some pointing to its upward motion coinciding in time with the eruption from the confetti cannon. Others claimed the wing’s failure was a result of structural fatigue, while another blamed the pilot for over-stressing the plane’s wings.
Other social media users were less interested in what caused the crash and more concerned with the apparent indifference shown by those at the party. “The way the camera panned back to the couple with not the slightest care in the world for the pilot is sad,” one user wrote. (RELATED: Baby Shower Cannon Explosion Kills Michigan Man)
While for many gender reveal parties are harmless and fun ways to disclose to family and friends whether a new bundle of joy will be a boy or a girl, there have been several deaths reported over the past few years that have called into question the extreme methods some folks use to share their news. A couple in California was charged with 30 crimes, including involuntary manslaughter when the smoke bomb used for their 2020 gender reveal party reportedly set off the deadly El Dorado wildfire that burned 22,000 acres.