Pilot Luke Aikins is seen successfully entering the silver airplane, during Plane Swap in Eloy, Arizona, on April 24, 2022. [Photo: Predrag Vuckovic / Red Bull Content Pool]
Key Takeaways:
The NTSB concluded the Red Bull Airplane Swap stunt crash occurred due to a ballast shift in the unoccupied Cessna 182, causing it to stall and enter an unrecoverable spin.
The FAA had previously denied permission for the stunt, but lead pilot Luke Aikins proceeded without informing Red Bull or his team.
Consequently, the FAA revoked both pilots' certificates for one year and proposed a fine against Aikins for multiple regulations violations.
The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final report regarding the crash of a Cessna 182 that was part of the Red Bull Airplane Swap stunt.
The stunt, which was streamed on Hulu on April 24, 2022, involved pilots and skydivers Luke Aikins, 48, and Andy Farrington, 39, flying a pair of modified C-182s.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
