A Red Bull Bede BD-5J single-seater microjet crashed during an attempted forced landing near Innsbruck, Austria, on May 1, killing Flying Bulls pilot Guido Gehrmann.
According to a team statement, Gehrmann suffered an engine failure while returning from an airshow performance in Tyrol, Italy. The Flying Bulls are based in Salzberg, Austria.
In the statement the Flying Bulls said, “It is with great sadness that we confirm the death of our close friend of many years, Guido Gehrmann. Guido was on his way back from an event in [the] Tyrol, flying a BEDE-5 of the Flying Bulls. When problems occurred with the engine, Guido attempted an emergency landing, but this ended in tragedy.”
The Bede BD-5 is the world’s smallest jet. Made popular in the early 1980s when it appeared in a James Bond film, the tiny single-seater was conceived in the 1970s by famed kitplane designer Jim Bede. There are currently around 30 BD-5s in flying condition around the world out of around 150 built.
