In a stunt at an air show that went horribly wrong a jet propelled truck that was racing on the runway against two low-flying planes overhead, burst into flames and exploded. The 40-year-old driver of the truck died on the spot.

The shocking accident, which was captured on camera, took place at Michigan in the United States.

According to New York Times, Chris Darnell, the driver of the truck and a member of the family that had been part of the air show business for several years, was killed during the incident.

The custom-built race truck, which was equipped with three jet engines and a combined 36,000 horsepower, crashed during the pyrotechnic (fireworks) portion of the air show. In a Facebook statement, Mr Darnell's father, Neal Darnell, said that the accident was a “result of mechanical failure on the Jet truck”.

Barbara Haluszka, the executive director of the festival, explained that despite what it looks like in many of the videos, the fireball was pyrotechnics and Mr Darnell did not drive through the flames. “The pyro is on the grass,” Ms Haluszka said, adding, “The jet truck is running on the runway. From the crowd's side, it looks like he's driving straight through the fireworks.