The Federal Aviation Administration mentioned on Monday that it was investigating a crash after a stunt that referred to as for 2 pilots to parachute from nose-diving planes and swap cockpits in midair.
Nobody was injured on Sunday within the stunt, which featured the pilots and skydivers Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington flying over the desert in Eloy, Ariz., about 50 miles northwest of Tucson. They’d deliberate to ship their single-engine Cessna 182 planes into tandem nosedives at 14,000 toes after which soar out midair to change planes.
One of many pilots landed safely by parachute as his airplane spun uncontrolled and crashed, the F.A.A. mentioned in a press release. The opposite pilot regained management of his airplane and landed safely. The F.A.A. didn’t specify which of the pilots landed by parachute.
Crimson Bull, the energy-drink firm, organized the occasion, which it called “Plane Swap” and a “first-of-its-kind soar.” The stunt was streamed dwell by Hulu, a associate within the occasion, which had no spectators current. Crimson Bull and Hulu didn’t instantly reply to inquiries on Monday.
The F.A.A. mentioned that it had denied a request for an exemption from federal laws that cowl the secure operation of an plane. Within the request, Mr. Aikins sought the exemption as a result of “through the swap, each plane will probably be unoccupied.”
In a reply, dated April 22 and signed by Robert C. Carty, the deputy govt director for flight requirements service on the F.A.A., the company mentioned that granting an exemption “wouldn’t be within the public curiosity” and that the company couldn’t “discover that the proposed operation wouldn’t adversely have an effect on security.”
Mr. Aikins and Mr. Farrington are cousins and third-generation pilots who typically fly in formation and have accomplished greater than 5,000 jumps collectively, Red Bull said.
Crimson Bull mentioned the lads grew up on an airfield, “jumped as a lot as attainable” and each took their first solo flights on the age of 16.
For the stunt, which was a yr within the making, the planes had been geared up with custom-built autopilot programs so they may stay on the proper trajectory. The planes had been additionally fitted with a velocity brake and bigger wheels to gradual the speed of descent and be certain that the skydivers may catch as much as the planes, Crimson Bull mentioned.
As soon as the pilots entered the nosedives and switched their engines off to stall in midair, the autopilot would interact, Crimson Bull mentioned. The boys deliberate to skydive to 2,000 toes above the bottom earlier than entering into the opposite airplane, Crimson Bull mentioned.
It’s not the primary time that Mr. Aikins has drawn media consideration for his skydiving exploits. In 2016, he was the primary individual ever to aim a skydive with neither a parachute nor a wingsuit.
His dive, which was broadcast dwell on Fox, started at an altitude of 25,000 toes, simply 4,000 toes wanting the summit of Mount Everest. He landed on a internet lower than half the scale of a soccer discipline.
