After a Red Bull aviation stunt ended with a plane crash, a new video shows exactly how the trick went wrong.
No one was hurt in the crash on Sunday, but the outcome was a far cry from the spectacle Red Bull had intended: two pilots leaping into the air over the Arizona desert as their planes nosedive, then skydiving into each other’s aircraft in a “plane swap.”
As shown in the new footage, credited to Red Bull and obtained by CNN, that’s not how it went down. As the video begins, things appear to be going according to plan as the two pilots, Andy Farrington and Luke Aikens, get ready to jump.
“Power off!” one pilot shouts to the other over the radio. “Diving!”
The two planes then nosedive, and the pilots hop out. Mr Aikens manages to skydive his way to Mr Farrington’s plane, scramble inside, and take the controls. The plane is then seen landing safely on a runway.
For some reason, Mr Farrington does not pull off the same feat. Mr Aikens’ plane is seen spinning toward the ground, nose-down, and Mr Farrington follows close behind with his parachute open.
“You safe, Andy? You safe?” Mr Aikens asks him.
“Yep, I’m all good!” Mr Farrington responds.
Later, the two pilots discuss what happened.
“I mean, we proved that it was possible!” Mr Aikens says in a post-stunt interview. “I mean, we’re pushing boundaries out here.”
“Everything should have been good to go,” Mr Farrington says, looking somewhat disappointed. “For some reason it wasn’t that way, but at the end of the day, we’re both here, we’re both good to go, everybody’s safe and sound, and I guess that’s an important part.”
On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the crash. The FAA says it refused Red Bull’s request for permission to attempt the stunt, but the company went ahead with it anyway.
“The FAA will investigate Sunday evening’s attempted Red Bull Plane Swap in Arizona,” the FAA told The Independent in an email. “The agency on Friday denied the organizer’s request for an exemption from Federal regulations that cover the safe operation of an aircraft.”
The Independent has reached out to Red Bull for comment.
