Influencer crashes private aircraft and dies during livestream
An influencer died on livestream while piloting his lightweight single-seat aircraft, which later crashed.
Content creator Tang Feiji from China set out on his 250-pound twin-rotor aircraft while livestreaming his adventure to his roughly 100,000 followers on Chinese social media platform Douyin.
According to the China News Service and Chinese news site Cover News, excerpts of his livestream that have since circulated through social media show Feiji buckled into his aircraft and taking off over Jiange County in central China. He then flew into the distance and landed briefly to adjust his camera angle.
After taking off again, he cruised for a bit, but then lost control of his aircraft. PEOPLE Magazine reports Feiji’s ultralight aircraft then took a nosedive and subsequently burst into flames.
Feiji had neither a helmet nor a parachute.
Hundreds of followers were watching the livestream when Feiji hit the ground and burst into flames.
The live chat filled up with appeals from worried viewers to “save him” and “call the emergency services.” But, according to a report from The Economic Times, Feiji was pronounced dead at the scene due to impact and the aircraft catching fire.
Since the incident, Feiji’s account has been set to private as his death is being investigated.
The aircraft that crashed was a relatively new one. According to reports, Feiji bought it in 2024.
In previous posts, Feiji claimed the aircraft could rise to 2,000 feet and go over 96 kilometers per hour. The Economic Times reported that Feiji told his viewers that it took him only six hours of practice to master the aircraft’s controls.
As reported by PEOPLE, he admitted in an interview that his aircraft experienced two fuel gauge malfunctions in 2024, causing it to drop less than 30 feet both times.