FAA Revokes Certificates of Red Bull Plane Swap Pilots

Agency says Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington violated regulations.

Thursday, May 12, 2022 at 08:46 PM ET

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Pilot Luke Aikins is seen successfully entering the silver airplane, during the Red Bull Plane Swap in Eloy, Arizona on April 24, 2022 [Predrag Vuckovic / Red Bull Content Pool]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has revoked the pilot certificates of Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington following their attempted Red Bull Plane Swap stunt, which resulted in one aircraft crashing.
The stunt proceeded despite the FAA having previously denied permission for the mid-air aircraft swap, citing violations of federal aviation regulations.
Luke Aikins faces an additional $4,932 fine for abandoning his pilot's seat and operating an aircraft recklessly, and later confessed to knowingly disregarding the FAA's denial.

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The FAA says it has revoked the pilot certificates of Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington, the two pilots and skydivers who attempted the Red Bull Plane Swap last month over the desert in Arizona.

During the stunt, which was streamed on Hulu, one of the two modified Cessna 182s that the men were using plunged to the ground, out of control. The crash scuttled the stunt and drew the ire of the FAA, which had earlier declined to give Aikins permission to perform the swap which, the agency says, violated certain federal aviation regulations.