​FAA Revokes Pilots’ Licenses after Failed Red Bull Plane Swap Stunt

On April 24, Red Bull Air Force pilots Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington tried to do the impossible on live TV above Arizona: flying two planes in parallel, jumping out of them, and re-entering the other’s aircraft before landing them. Red Bull called the event the “plane swap,” and unfortunately it did not go to plan. Aikins was able to re-enter the plane Farrington had been flying and land it, but the other plane entered an uncontrollable spin before crashing. Luckily, Farrington was able to deploy his parachute and land safely. Following the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration revoked both pilots’ licenses and fined Aikins $4,932 for abandoning his pilot seat and operating an aircraft in a careless and reckless manner.

A few days after the event, Aikins, who was the project lead and chief pilot, posted on Instagram that he decided to go ahead with stunt despite not receiving approval from the FAA for a special exemption from federal rules. Aikins and Farrington had successfully practiced the aerial swap maneuver several times (with other pilots in control of the respective aircraft) before attempting it solo.