Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Mike Hughes, a go-it-alone daredevil, limousine stunt driver and self-taught astronaut who professed to believe that the Earth was flat and who was known to supporters as Mad Mike, died in a . The video, posted to Twitter by Justin Chapman, a freelance journalist who witnessed and recorded the fatal crash, begins by showing the self-made rocket seconds before it takes off from a guide rail attached to a large white truck in Barstow, California. It was always his dream to do this launch & Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey". Mikes rep,Darren Shuster, toldTMZthat, upon launching, Mikesparachute got snagged by a ladder next to the rock. [5][6][7] He stated during an interview with the Associated Press in 2018 that he had planned to run for Governor of California. Hughes stated that the injuries suffered from the flight put him in a walker for two weeks. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. Who makes jury-rig fixes at the eleventh hour when somebodys life is on the line? Need to estimate, from trillions of miles away, how likely another world is to host life? Even if a company unknowingly manufactures faulty products that result in grave injury or death, they hold some responsibility. Similarly, those who promote the flat-earth movement (primarily on the internet), particularly such stunts, bear some responsibility for Hughes death. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, the launch of a homemade rocket gone awry, successfully launched himself in a rocket nearly 1,900 feet in the air, Im afraid for her life: Riverside CC womens coach harassed after Title IX suit, Want to solve climate change? If a manufacturer of cars or any other product knowingly makes things that are defective that ultimately results in severe injury or death, then they are culpable. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. RIP Mike Hughes The more outlandish and provocative the content, the more interest, and hence more views. It was late afternoon, and the guys were thrashing to get Mike into the rocket before the last of the light faded. He wanted to do something original, and he came up with the idea of jumping a limo, Brusseau said. Cross-court! shell shout at the screen. There was no official anything. The 1:53 min long video was directed by Kansas Bowling and featured footage of his "Flat Earth" rocket launch in Apple Valley. Given the tragic turn of events, its doubtful that this series will go forward. Chute! He raised only $310. He blamed permission difficulties for rescheduling his launch. There was no stopping him, Linn said. Already Ive seen some flat-earthers claim that nefarious agents of the government sabotaged and hence assassinated Hughes. The stunt landed him in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest limousine ramp jump, beating a previous 75-foot jump Hughes made in Las Vegas. He had intentions to built multiple rockets that fly into the outer space and take pictures of the entire Earth as a flat disc. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time [8], At the time of his death, Hughes lived in Apple Valley, California. But the crews lack of urgency told a different story. I figured that would be the end of it. Yeah, for sure, absolutely it was. Fame and fortune? The more views that a site has, the more potential customers see the ads. Michael passed away of cause of death on month day 2008, at age 75 at death place, Florida. However, he hadnt shared any further information regarding his marriage and who is his wife. I took Mike aside and told him, Dont get in that rocket unless you feel comfortable. As it happened, the rocket wasnt ready to fly in time. Heres a timeline, Crusading vet treats some of L.A.s most cherished residents: The pets of skid row, The Times podcast: How the California GOP lost its national sway, Veterans claim anti-vet bias in Metros choice of muralist for a new VA station, California faces catastrophic flood dangers and a need to invest billions in protection, Caregiver sentenced to life in prison for unspeakable sexual abuse of disabled children. I passed by the display of his rocket several times, hoping to speak to him, but he was always busy talking to other people, so I never got the chance. To minimize costs, Waldo had already rigged up a cockpit out of the wingtip tank from a Cold Warera Lockheed F-94 Starfighter, with air provided by a breathing bottle from a similar vintage Boeing B-50 Superfortress bomber. Mad Mike Hughes Cause of Death: As a part of a stunt, Mike was attached with a homemade rocket which was launched but quickly it was crashed. Also, after a visual inspection, other members of the crew were convinced that the rocket was going to clip the frame of the launch rig on the way up. Science Channel wrote, "Michael 'Mad Mike' Hughes tragically passed away today during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket. If those people promoting a flat earth for profit and dont believe the earth is flat had any decency, I would hope the death of Mike Hughes would cause them to stop. I love that ending, where he was able to be successful, Brusseau said. Hughes famously launched himself nearly 1,900 feet upward in a homemade steam-powered rocket early in 2018. Alaskas Arctic Waterways Are Turning a Foreboding Orange. Because Mike never reached the point of climbing into the rocket, I never had to confront the disturbing possibility that he might blow himself up or be pulverized in a crash landing. Waldo cajoled me into writing a brief, lighthearted story about the episode. Videos of the launch show that his parachute opened and detached from the rocket almost instantly, dooming Hughes to a high-velocity impact on the desert floor shortly after that. Hughes and Stakes were one of three teams that working to get as close to space, or the Karman line, the invisible line which is 62 miles (99.78 km) above Earths surface that is often thought of as the beginning of space., Hughes was known for attempting to blast off in a rocket that was made using mostly spare parts and during a launch in March 2018, he needed to deploy his parachute after making it a half-mile into the sky. CHUTE! Mike Huges died on 22 February 2020. Famously known as "Mad" Mike Hughes, the daredevil rocket-maker died while attempting to blast himself into the sky on February 22, 2020, according to TMZ. He stated that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved him to launch his rocket and he is awaiting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Something was always going wrong. Chute. That is nonsense. Mikes height and weight hadnt been disclosed publically. Throughout his career he set so many records and he was trying to add another before this tragedy took place. Hughes defiantly stated that the dispute would not stop him from flying: "I'm a daredevil. At the time of his passing, Hughes was surrounded by 50 to 60 people watching his attempted rocket launch, including crew members for an upcoming Science Channel series calledHomemade Astronauts. This California farm kingdom holds a key, Six people, including mother and baby, killed in Tulare County; drug cartel suspected, These are the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles, New Bay Area maps show hidden flood risk from sea level rise and groundwater, Gina Lollobrigida, film star who conquered Italy, Hollywood and the world, dies at 95, Storm sets new L.A. rain records. Thats the way daredevils die.. Hughes had no close relatives and lived alone in Apple Valley with his four cats, Brusseau and Linn said. A group of spectators gathered around him. Please follow the instructions we emailed you in order to finish subscribing. However, his landing led him three days to recover. As freelance journalist Justin Chapman told NPR, the goal of such expeditions was not so much to prove that the earth was flat, as it was to bring attention to the Flat Earth cause. (A representative for Hughes also confirmed this in a statement to BuzzFeed, saying he did not actually believe in the theory and that we used flat Earth as a PR stunt. Released in August 2019, this 94-minute documentary, co-directed by Toby Brusseau and Michael Linn, starred Mike Hughes, Waldo Sykes, Patrick Marchese. Last spring, Waldo called to tell me hed hatched a crazily ambitious plan: He wanted to send Mike into space. That belief has circulated among flat-earthers since his appearance at the 2018 FEIC. Waldo asked me, You know what will happen if we get him into space and get him down alive?, Ill be the most famous guy on the planet! Mike crowed before I could reply. Mad Mike Hughes net worth: Mad Mike had an estimated net worth of around $650,000 before his death. At least I can go home and have dinner and see my cats tonight., A post shared by Rocketman. Two armed but unopened parachutes were still attached to the rocket when it came down. Homepage / Uncategorized / mike hughes cause of death; mike hughes cause of death. Social media platforms like YouTube have also been criticized for serving as a platform for those espousing Flat Earth views, a criticism that last year it addressed by tweaking its algorithm to prevent from recommending such content to users. Video posted online shows the exact moment Mad Mike Hughes homemade rocket came crashing down to Earth after a failed launch attempt, killing the self-styled daredevil. He had a lot of time to surf YouTube and he went down the YouTube rabbit hole and developed some weird beliefs., In 2018, Hughes successfully launched himself in a rocket nearly 1,900 feet in the air and landed in the Mojave Desert near Amboy, Calif., a feat captured on camera for Rocketman., When we were filming it, we were thinking to ourselves, Wow, this is dangerous, Brusseau said. Im also concerned that impressionable people might see the attention that Hughes sought in life and is now getting and might be induced to try similar dangerous things. Others have claimed that Hughes was whisked away by authorities to learn from him, and so his death was staged as a cover for Hughes disappearance. Roys Motel & Caf, the only retail establishment in Amboy (population: 4) on famous Route 66. Waldo Stakes who was working on the same project as a colleague of Mad Mike also confirmed that It was Unsuccessful and he passed away However he further refused to made any statements of comments on this regard. The series was scheduled to air on the US Science Channel. But as it gathered speed, the rocket transitioned to vertical, flying straight up on a white plume. Hughes claimed to have achieved nearly 1,400 feet altitude in a similar craft in 2014, though there are some doubts about that flight. I didnt see it. Ive heard that some make six figures promoting a flat earth. Mounted nearly 15 degrees from vertical on a launch rail that resembled an industrial-grade erector set, the rocket looked like the kind of thing you might have doodled during an especially tedious junior-high earth science classa slender fuselage bracketed by a needle-shaped nose and four fins at the base. But for what? A rival steam-engine builder. Mike's rocket on the truck bed used for transport. [27][28], Hughes was the main focus of the 2019 documentary Rocketman: Mad Mike's Mission to Prove the Flat-Earth. Privacy Policy and Coronavirus Is Spreading And So Are the Hoaxes and Conspiracy Theories Around It. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. He desperately wanted to be rich and famous and realized that his most marketable asset was his willingness to risk his life, so he risked it often. Mad Mike Hughes died on February 22 when the parachutes on his homemade steam rocket failed to deploy and he augured into the sagebrush near Barstow, California, like a giant lawn dart plummeting at more than 300 miles per hour. Hughes was a member of the Flat Earth . But none of us are getting out of this world alive. But Mike wanted to fly higher, faster, farther. In 2016, Hughes came out as a flat-earther and stated his motivation was to eventually build a rocket that would take him high enough to prove that the earth is indeed flat. Get the HOTTEST Music, News & Videos Delivered Weekly. However, he holds the American nationality and white ethnical background. Without an audience, he was just a lone lunatic shouting incoherently in a barren desert. I could run for governor and be a shoo-in. Mike and Waldo were an odd couplea bantam rooster with a shock of gray-white hair and a solid redwood with tattooed biceps. Then, on the 30th of January 2014, he was known for making the first manned rocket, which flew 1,374 feet within over one minute over Winkelman, Arizona. [15], A successful launch on March 24, 2018, resulted in his reaching a height of 1,875 feet (572m) and a hard landing in the Mojave Desert. I think were looking at 50-50, Waldo said blithely. . With any luck, the water pressure in the boiler would reach 350 pounds per square inch by noon, and Mike would be able to fly immediately thereafter. Advertisers pay money to owners of websites that generate enough views to justify the expense. Grinning fiercely, Waldo told me, Im going to send this guy into space, and people are going to go, Two fucking hillbillies living in Apple Valley built a spaceship, promoted it themselves, hooked it to a balloon, and launched him into space.. We couldnt see clearly how it had landed. Effectively, he was duped by FET (theory and theorists) into recklessly risking his life. 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