Red Bull Plane Swap Pilot Appears to Post Instagram Confession

Friday, April 29, 2022 at 01:33 PM ET

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Luke Aikins said he received an email from the FAA denying his request for an exemption from certain federal regulations that would have cleared his team to perform the swap. [Photo: Chris Tedesco / Red Bull Content Pool] SI202204260695 // Usage for editorial use only //

Key Takeaways:

Luke Aikins, lead pilot for the Red Bull Plane Swap stunt, publicly admitted to proceeding with the event despite receiving an email from the FAA denying his request for an exemption from federal regulations.
Aikins took sole responsibility for the decision, stating he withheld the FAA's denial from his team members.
During the live-streamed stunt, one pilot successfully swapped planes, but the other aborted his maneuver after the target plane spun out of control, resulting in a plane crash.

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Luke Aikins, the lead pilot for the Red Bull Plane Swap stunt that streamed live last Sunday on Hulu, has apparently posted a message on his Instagram page in which he takes responsibility for continuing with the event without permission from the FAA.

In the Instagram statement, Aikins says he received an email from the FAA denying his request for an exemption from certain federal regulations that would have cleared his team to perform the swap, but says he kept that information from other team members.