--- description: A news reporter who said a "flux capacitator" was the potential cause of a plane crash may want to brush up on her Back to the Future knowledge. title: Reporter Says 'Flux Capacitator' May Have Caused Plane Crash image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt87ced84366b0639a/6988687c0a4a2214639c6954/back-to-the-future-christopher-lloyd-michael-j-fox.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # News Reporter Says 'Flux Capacitator' May Have Caused Plane Crash  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Aug 29, 2018 5:37 PM CUT  Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox in 'Back to the Future' Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox in 'Back to the Future'MCA/Universal Pictures  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Aug 29, 2018 5:37 PM CUT It may be time for a [Boston](http://time.com/5330380/boston-commuters-free-woman-mbta/ "undefined") news reporter who said a faulty “flux capacitator” was the potential cause of a [plane crash](http://time.com/5358271/plane-crash-southern-california/ "undefined") to brush up on her [_Back_](http://time.com/3928368/review-1985-back-to-the-future/ "undefined")[ _to the Future_](http://time.com/3928368/review-1985-back-to-the-future/ "undefined")knowledge. While reporting live at the scene of a plane crash at Massachusetts’ Cranland Airport on Tuesday, Boston 25 News’ Kathryn Burcham said that pilot Jacob Haselden had told her a “defective flux capacitator” may have been responsible for the incident. Twenty-year-old Haselden, who was the [only person onboard](http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local%5Fcoverage/2018/08/second%5Fplane%5Fin%5Fdays%5Fcrashes%5Fat%5Fhanson%5Fairport "undefined"), was hospitalized with minor injuries following the crash. He has since been released. But unfortunately for Burcham, it seems he may have played a _Back to the Future_\-inspired prank on her by suggesting a flux capacitor—the core mechanism of Doc Brown’s DeLorean time machine—was the root of the problem. A video of the flub began making the online rounds shortly after the broadcast, giving fans of the movie a laugh. Watch the clip below. > [](https://twitter.com/TimRunsHisMouth/status/1034232600527859712) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5381748/flux-capacitator-plane-crash-news/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5381748/flux-capacitator-plane-crash-news/"},"headline":"News Reporter Says 'Flux Capacitator' May Have Caused Plane Crash","datePublished":"2018-08-29T17:37:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:54:34.894Z","description":"Time to brush up on Back to the Future","url":"https://time.com/5381748/flux-capacitator-plane-crash-news/","keywords":["Newsfeed","movies","viral","Back to the Future"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt87ced84366b0639a/6988687c0a4a2214639c6954/back-to-the-future-christopher-lloyd-michael-j-fox.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt87ced84366b0639a/6988687c0a4a2214639c6954/back-to-the-future-christopher-lloyd-michael-j-fox.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Back-to-the-Future-Christopher-Lloyd-Michael-J-Fox","caption":"Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox in 'Back to the Future'","creditText":"MCA/Universal Pictures","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5381748/flux-capacitator-plane-crash-news/","name":"News Reporter Says 'Flux Capacitator' May Have Caused Plane Crash"}}]}] ```