UK Man Buys Boeing 737 On Facebook, Buries Into Backyard For Underground War Bunker, Party Den

A British father bought a Boeing 737 on Facebook for just £4,000 ($5,364) and buried the aircraft in his garden to transform the retired passenger jet into an underground party den that could also double as a nuclear war bunker.

Dave Billings, 45, an engineer from Derbyshire, recently lowered the three-tonne fuselage of a scrapped Bmibaby Boeing 737-500 into a massive 14ft-deep pit at his home. The aircraft is set to become the centrepiece of an extraordinary underground hideout that he has been constructing beneath his property in Hilton for several years.

Inspired by the classic prisoner-of-war film The Great Escape, Dave's subterranean project already includes a network of tunnels, concealed rooms and secret entrances. Having invested at least £50,000 ($67,053) so far, he believes the elaborate underground complex could even help his family survive off-grid for months if a third world war were to break out.

Dramatic footage captured last month shows the enormous aircraft fuselage being carefully lowered into the ground with the help of a team of workers.

Dave intends to install a concealed lift shaft inside a traditional red British telephone box, allowing visitors to descend directly into the underground aircraft.

The engineer revealed that his eight-year-old son Oliver, who is fascinated by planes, inspired him to purchase the retired aircraft, although convincing his wife Beth initially proved challenging.

🇬🇧 Dad BURIES Boeing 737 in backyard to build BUNKER and PARTY PAD

The British engineer snapped up the scrapped jet on Facebook for just $5,364 and lowered its 6,000-pound fuselage into a 14-foot-deep pit.

The hideout will feature secret tunnels, hidden rooms, and an elevator disguised as a traditional red phone booth.

He hopes the bizarre hideaway will double as a spot for below-ground bashes and an emergency shelter capable of keeping his family off-grid for months.

Now THAT’S an underground party!

Source: @Tornado_Dave (YT), NYPost / Writer: Marie

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) November 10, 2026

He said, “Beth did wonder why I was spending money on an old plane and said it was junk but she’s coming round now. 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 fall out shelter. The whole thing will be buried under concrete and soil so the top will be around two-and-a-half feet underground."

“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.”

Despite the bunker-like features and its potential to serve as a refuge during a major conflict, Dave insists the project is primarily driven by his passion for engineering experiments rather than doomsday preparations.

He said, “I’m still building this for fun at the moment. If I was a prepper, I’d be stopping everything else to get on with it. I do these things because they’re cool, I enjoy it. But this one’s a cool thing that’s got a purpose; it can be classed as functionable. If things escalate and it is going to be needed, I can speed the job up, but I don’t think anyone will bomb the Derbyshire Dales.”

Dave purchased the stripped-down aircraft fuselage with a group of friends in December 2025 before transporting it to his property for £4,000.

However, burying an entire Boeing 737 is proving to be an expensive undertaking. He estimates that the project will require another £8,000 ($10,730) for concrete, £3,000 ($4,024) for reinforcing mesh and £2,000 ($2,682) for insulation before the aircraft is completely secured underground.

And that's not including the food, drinks and beer he plans to stockpile inside his unconventional hideout.

Dave also intends to install barrels for a bar and store enough essential supplies to keep his family going for anywhere between three and six months.

He has been documenting the unusual construction project on his YouTube channel, Tornado Dave, and hopes to complete the underground aircraft bunker by next February.

However, he is working against a rather personal deadline. Dave added: “Beth said it must be finished before our tenth wedding anniversary so I’ve got a very firm deadline to meet.”

The engineer also plans to apply for retrospective planning permission for the ambitious construction project.