Rocketman horror
Dozens witness fatal accident as daredevil crashes in desert
A Self-taught engineer who called himself the “world’s greatest daredevil” died when his homemade rocket crashed during an attempt to prove the Earth is flat.
Mike Hughes’ death was captured on video as he was being filmed for a new TV show called Homemade Astronauts.
The 64-year-old, who was nicknamed Mad Mike, flew his rocket into the sky but its parachute appeared to fail and it plummeted to the ground in the desert.
He had been hoping to use Saturday’s launch to reach a height of 5,000 feet.
Instead, dozens of people watched in horror as he crashed near Barstow, California. Mike and his assistants reportedly built the homemade rocket in his backyard, at a cost of $18,000 (€16,750).
Before the tragedy, the Californian said he believed Earth was flat – or “shaped like a Frisbee”. He said he wanted to fly into space to make sure.
“I don’t think he believed it,” publicist Darren Shuster said. “He did have some conspiracy theories. But don’t confuse it with that flat Earth thing.”
He told news website TMZ Mike was
“one of a kind”, adding: “When God made Mike he broke the mould.
“The man was the real deal and lived to push the edge. He wouldn’t have gone out any other way.”
Eric Sherwin, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department, said they had not been alerted in advance of Saturday’s rocket launch or informed of the fatality.
He added officials would look into why they had not been told about the crash. He said Desert Ambulance, a private company, had been at the scene.
Mr Sherwin added: “They pronounced a single person deceased.”
Mike’s DIY rocket-making gained global attention, attracting the interest of documentary filmmakers and reality TV producers. Homemade Astronauts is set to be launched on the Discovery Channel later this year.
His supporters donated money to fund his projects and to have their names on his rockets, Mr Shuster said.
“He was this generation’s Evel Knievel,” Mr Sherwin said, referring to the late daredevil motorcyclist and showman.