Now Red Bull is facing an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The first of its kind mid-air “plane swap” attempted by two stunt pilots on Sunday was unsuccessful after one of the two planes involved spiraled out of control and made an emergency landing in Arizona, US. According to New York Postthe paratroopers – cousins Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington, who were part of the Red Bull Air Force Aviation crew – were safe and no injuries were reported.
The pilots tried to jump into each other’s planes while in the air – leaving both planes unmanned. On its website, Red Bull had said the paratroopers would attempt to switch gears as they dove to the ground. In the air, however, things went awry, sending a plane into a tailspin before crashing to the ground in Arizona.
Watch the video below:
This one #Red Bull#PlaneSwap in Arizona was crazy! Didn’t go as planned but thankfully everyone is fine! pic.twitter.com/f9cpRclYtT
— Aaron Tevis (@AaronTevis) Apr 25, 2022
The stunt literally went south for the Red Bull sponsored flights. The two pilots planned to throw their Cessna 182 planes into a synchronized nosedive at 14,000 feet by stopping the engines and a custom air brake that kept the planes at a controlled descent rate of 140 mph. As part of the plan, the pilots then had to abandon their respective planes and skyd into each other’s planes, cross each other in the air and regain control within a minute.
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However, the plane Mr Farrington was jumping into quickly spiraled out of control, becoming extremely inconsistent with the height of the other plane after the duo completed their jumps. Mr Farrington was forced to parachute to the ground when his plane crashed. Mr. Aikins, on the other hand, managed to successfully complete the stunt in his respective plane.
Me for drinking a @Red Bull ➡️ Me after drinking a #Red Bull#PlaneSwappic.twitter.com/HtrlytScbK
— Bale’s bogey Madrid serotonin (@LRMYSoccerOtter) Apr 25, 2022
According to the AfterAfter he reached the ground, Mr. Farrington said, “All the numbers matched up and all.” He added: “Everything should have been good to go, for some reason it wasn’t, but at the end of the day we’re both here, we’re both ready to go, everyone is safe and well and I think that’s the most important thing.”
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Meanwhile, according to NBC News, Red Bull faces an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The officials said the agency on Friday rejected a request from the company to get an exemption from regulations pertaining to the safe operation of aircraft. Now the two pilots could be grounded, fined or lost their licenses as a result of the FAA investigation.
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