What should have been a joyful occasion for everyone involved turned into a tragedy when an airplane crashed during a gender reveal party in San Pedro, Mexico, on Sunday (September 3).
In a video circulating online, a crop duster can be seen flying over an expecting couple, who is standing next to dozens of balloons and a huge sign that reads “Oh baby.” As soon as the plane releases a plume of pink smoke to reveal that the couple’s baby is going to be a girl, it seems that the left wing separates from the body of the aircraft and continues to fly forward before spinning out of control.
According to CNN, the pilot of the plane was treated by paramedics at the scene but later died at the hospital about 10 miles west of Culiacán in the state of Sinaloa. The pilot’s name was not released and the cause of the crash is still unknown.
Gender reveal parties began in the United States in the late 2000s. Although celebrations began as small affairs that included the cutting of a cake or popping of a balloon, they have since morphed into more extravagant celebrations that include fireworks.
Unfortunately, several deaths and destruction have happened in the last decade during gender reveal parties. In March 2021, two people were killed when a plane crashed off the coast of Cancún, Mexico, while carrying a sign that read “It’s a girl!”
There have also been reports of massive fires like the one in Yucaipa, California, in September 2020, that was started by a pyrotechnic device, which ended up burning thousands of acres of land, destroying homes, and killing one firefighter.