--- title: Reporter Says 'Flux Capacitator' May Have Caused Plane Crash 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. canonical: https://time.com/5381748/flux-capacitator-plane-crash-news/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-29T17:37:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:54:34.894Z og:title: Reporter Says 'Flux Capacitator' May Have Caused Plane Crash og:description: Time to brush up on Back to the Future og:url: https://time.com/5381748/flux-capacitator-plane-crash-news/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt87ced84366b0639a/6988687c0a4a2214639c6954/back-to-the-future-christopher-lloyd-michael-j-fox.jpg?branch=production&width=1000&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1000 og:image:height: 563 og:image:alt: Back-to-the-Future-Christopher-Lloyd-Michael-J-Fox og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Reporter Says 'Flux Capacitator' May Have Caused Plane Crash twitter:description: Time to brush up on Back to the Future twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt87ced84366b0639a/6988687c0a4a2214639c6954/back-to-the-future-christopher-lloyd-michael-j-fox.jpg?branch=production&width=1000&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # News Reporter Says 'Flux Capacitator' May Have Caused Plane Crash > Sponsored content. 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Fox in 'Back to the Future' MCA/Universal Pictures  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Aug 29, 2018 5:37 PM UTC It may be time for a [Boston](http://time.com/5330380/boston-commuters-free-woman-mbta/) news reporter who said a faulty “flux capacitator” was the potential cause of a [plane crash](http://time.com/5358271/plane-crash-southern-california/) to brush up on her [_Back_](http://time.com/3928368/review-1985-back-to-the-future/)[ _to the Future_](http://time.com/3928368/review-1985-back-to-the-future/)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), 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. 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