Sinaloa, Mexico- A festive gender reveal party in Mexico took a deadly turn on Saturday when a plane, part of the event’s spectacle, crashed during the reveal. The dangerous crash ultimately caused the death of the pilot. The incident was captured on video, which was later shared on social media. The footage shows the expectant couple, whose identities have not been disclosed, standing in front of a brightly lit “Oh Baby” sign, surrounded by friends and family.
The ill-fated Piper PA-25-235 Pawnee aircraft filled the sky over San Pedro with pink smoke, a common gender reveal tactic, while confetti was simultaneously launched from a cannon on the ground. The plane’s left wing appeared to malfunction as the pilot, later identified as 32-year-old Luis Ángel N., attempted to ascend. This caused the plane to spiral out of control.
Unaware of the unfolding disaster, party attendees on the ground continued their celebrations. Local news outlets reported that authorities discovered the pilot amidst the plane’s wreckage after a concerned partygoer alerted them. Despite being quickly transported to a hospital, the pilot succumbed to his injuries and passed away.
The video of the incident has since gone viral, reigniting discussions about the safety of gender reveal parties. Others criticized the partygoers’ apparent lack of concern for the pilot’s safety.
Speculation about the cause of the crash also emerged on social media. One user suggested that the plane’s sudden ascent coincided with the firing of the ground-based CO2 cannon, implying that the aircraft may have been “blasted out of the sky.” Others suggested structural fatigue or overstressing of the wings as potential causes.
This incident is not the first time a gender reveal party has resulted in disaster. In 2020, a similar celebration in California sparked a wildfire that spread across 10,000 acres. In another incident in 2019, an Australian family’s car was set on fire due to special tires designed to emit blue smoke for a gender reveal.