Explosions, fires, Power Rangers almost drowning in a pool … just when you think you’ve seen it all when it comes to gender-reveal parties gone horribly wrong, along comes another. This time, it resulted in an actual plane crash. When will the madness end?
In September, a small plane flying over the town of Turkey, Texas, was set to dump about 350 gallons of pink-colored water as part of a gender reveal, NBC DFW News reports. As the pilot approached the spot of the reveal, he slowed the aircraft and began dumping the water. The plane started to stall, losing altitude and subsequently crashing into the ground. While the plane ended up having substantial damage, luckily no one was badly hurt. The pilot, Raj Horan, was not injured in the crash, but his passenger, Jennifer Harrell, suffered minor injuries. The plane, which was a single-seat crop duster, reportedly had no mechanical failures or malfunctions prior to the accident.
The crash is the latest in a string of dangerous incidents related to gender-reveal parties. Last month, a 56-year-old Iowa woman died after being struck by debris caused by an explosion that was part of a gender reveal. A similar explosion occurred a day after.
Ever since these reveals became part of the cultural zeitgeist, they have received backlash for the ridiculous and sometimes dangerous stunts they tend to produce, as well as the antiquated notions about gender they promote. Still, they don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon, and probably won’t as long as babies keep being born and social media exists. Jenna Karvunidis, the woman who threw one of the first gender-reveal parties, has admitted that she regrets spreading the trend.
