Famous stuntman known as ‘Mad’ Mike Hughes has recently been killed in the crash of his homemade rocket in California. His previous launch in 2018 was successful, however, he injured his back during the landing. The rocket blasted in the air and glided through the sky with the help of parachutes. But this time, the launch went very wrong as one of the parachutes was torn off and destroyed at lift off. His team believes Hughes was knocked unconscious during takeoff because he had 3 backup parachutes that he could have pulled in order to save himself.

This was Hughes’ third launch in one of his homemade rockets and part of his plan to be able to determine for himself that Earth was as flat as he was said to have believed. During his launch, a steel ladder was attached to the rocket’s launch ramp to make it easier for Hughes to get into the cockpit of the rocket. But when the rocket launched, it hit the ladder and completely altered the course of its launch, setting the scene for a complete disaster. The steam-powered rocket that Hughes created wobbled and did a huge arc before crashing less than a minute later, leading to the eventual death of the 64 year old.

Previous to creating and launching his own rockets to prove his theory, Mike was a stuntman who jumped limousines. He holds the record for the longest limousine ramp jump according to Guinness World Records. Hughes jumped 103 ft over a 6,500-pound Lincoln Town Car Stretch Limo at Perris Auto Speedway in 2002. During his career as a stuntman, he played roles in multiple movies, some of these including; The Backyard (2003), Baywatch (1989), and The Place (1992), as well as appearing in one episode of Wrestling Reality in 2007. 

Prior to his third launch filmmakers followed Mike around to create a documentary titled Rocketman- Mad Mikes Mission to Prove the Flat Earth. They stated “He was often lonely and felt his accomplishments as a daredevil had been forgotten, ultimately, he just wanted to lead a meaningful life. He had very little money, but he found a way to bring excitement and purpose to his life by doing affordable stunts with rockets that he built himself using spare parts.” Not only did Mike work to prove his theory that the Earth is flat, he died doing what he loved, inspiring people to take risks. He was truly dedicated to his theory and also inspiring others to work on their passions. “He wanted to show people that you can do extraordinary things, like launch yourself in a rocket,” witness Justin Chapman says as he recalls that Hughes really believed in his mission. 

Video shows the rocket carrying ‘Mad Mike’ in the sky through the California Desert. Shortly after the lift-off, the rocket plummets to Earth and nosedives into the ground. Hughes was killed on impact.