Gender reveal party goes horribly wrong after stunt plane crashes, killing pilot

Plane crashes at gender reveal party in Mexico.

A gender reveal party in Mexico took a nightmare turn after a stunt plane involved in the reveal crash-landed, killing the pilot.

The celebration, held in San Pedro on Sunday (3 September) saw expecting parents standing in front of large marquee letters that read “Oh Baby”, surrounded by blue and pink balloons.

In a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, the couple are seen holding hands before their cheering guests as a stunt plane swoops over them to reveal pink smoke – suggesting that their baby will be assigned female at birth.

The camera follows the aircraft, a Piper PA-25, as its left wing snaps off and it goes into a deadly tailspin.

According to the Aviation Safety Network, the plane “crashed after the left-hand wing failed after an emergency hopper release of (pink dyed) water during a gender reveal party.”

Seeming not to notice the deadly incident that has just unfolded before their eyes, the videographer and other guests turn back to cheer and congratulate the couple, shooting pink confetti into the air.

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The pilot operating the plane was named by local media outlets as Luis Angel, 32. 

Linea Directa Poral reports that Angel was initially trapped inside the aircraft after the crash, but was helped out by Red Cross Navolato paramedics.

Sadly, the pilot was later pronounced dead after being rushed to hospital, according to local media outlet Reflectores.

The accident did not cause any further deaths or injuries.

Once a video of the tragic incident started circulating on social media, it sparked serious debates surrounding gender reveal parties.

Gender reveal parties in general have been a rather controversial topic in recent years. That’s partly because announcing what a baby’s genitals are likely to be to the world in extravagant ways is a bizarre concept in itself.

It also doesn’t help that expecting parents are going more and more over the top with their gender reveals, often causing serious accidents like this one.

Commenting on this latest gender reveal tragedy, one viewer wrote: “I’m being 100% serious when I say that gender reveal parties need to be completely banned. For one, it’s completely idiotic and two, the people who engage in these over-the-top & often dangerous gender reveal parties are also idiotic.”

A second tweeted: “Can we stop with the idiotic gender reveals already? The death toll over these stunts is climbing.”

And a third agreed: “Do you know what needs to stop? Gender reveal parties. I said what I said.”

Other gender reveal parties in recent years have resulted in horrific disasters, ranging from deadly wildfires to earthquakes to pipe-bomb explosions.

Inventor of gender reveal parties wishes she had never started the tradition

Back in 2020, Jenna Karvunidis, who is credited with the invention of the gender reveal party, admitted that she regrets creating the “monster” – particularly after her second daughter got her thinking about gender identity.

“There’s such an obsession with gender that it becomes limiting in many ways and exploitative in others,” said Karvundis.

“You don’t want what’s between your legs to guide your path in life.

“I want my kids to grow up in a world where gender doesn’t matter.”