A man in the United Kingdom buried a Boeing 737, which he bought on social media for 4,000 pounds (around Rs 5 lakh), the New York Post reported. Dave Billings, an engineer living in Derbyshire, buried the 3-tonne fuselage of a scrapped Boeing 737-500 in his garden. He then explained the reason behind his strange decision.
Instead of letting the classic aircraft sit in a scrap yard, the 45-year-old lowered the massive cabin 14 feet underground. It is meant to be used as an entertainment space, but as per the report, Billings said that his family could survive in that space for months if World War III broke out.
The unusual project started when Billings spotted the fuselage section listed on Facebook Marketplace. According to the media outlet, his son, who is apparently an aviation fanatic, encouraged him. He then teamed up with friends to buy the aircraft body.
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Father buys Boeing 737 fuselage on Facebook and buries it in his garden in bid to build underground fallout shelter and party bunker A father who bought a Boeing 737 fuselage on Facebook and spent £4,000 hauling it home has buried the aircraft in his back garden to create the ultimate underground party pad that doubles as a war bunker. The three-ton body of the Bmibaby Boeing 737-500 is the latest addition to the ambitious nuclear bunker complex that engineer Dave Billings, 45, has spent years building beneath his property in Hilton, Derbyshire. Inspired by the classic Second World War film The Great Escape, the project has cost him £50,000 so far and features a maze of tunnels, secret chambers and hidden entrances. Surreal footage shows a team of helpers slowly winching the gigantic aircraft shell into the ground. Dave estimates that the sophisticated subterranean hideout could sustain his family for up to three months if World War Three broke out. To ready the bunker for action, Dave plans to install a lift shaft hidden inside a traditional red phone box to carry visitors down into the buried aircraft. The engineer said that while his aircraft-obsessed eight-year-old son Oliver got on board with the doomsday feat immediately, it took more convincing to get his wife, Beth, to see the vision. Dave said: 'Beth did wonder why I was spending money on an old plane and said it was junk but she's coming round now. The ambitious project is documented on his YouTube channel, Tornado Dave, and he expects to complete it by next February.
— That's The Badger! (@Thatsthebad) November 10, 2026
Understandably, his wife wasn't sure about the project. "Beth did wonder why I was spending money on an old plane and said it was junk," Billings admitted, as mentioned in the report.
While the media has dubbed it a doomsday bunker, Billings insists the project is primarily meant for relaxation and hosting parties.
"It's primarily a fun thing to have and a place for us to have parties and relax, but it could be made into a fallout shelter," he said as quoted in the report.
"The whole thing will be buried under concrete and soil, so the top will be around two-and-a-half feet underground."
@PicturesFoIder This guy has built a complete underground bunker with electric cart. Wow! Credit:🎥 Dave Billings https://t.co/SDF6hClSOv
— The Night Warrior (@WarriorNight007) April 17, 2025
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"It will have electricity and water, but we are also putting solar panels on the top, and it has a borehole to a water supply."
"The plane toilet will be converted into a usable toilet connected to our septic tank."
"The structure will have its own ventilation system too. Depending on the amount of food we have down there, we could be off-grid for a long time if need be."
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