• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Daredevil Plane Swap Stunt Goes Horribly Wrong

Home> News

Published 09:29 25 Apr 2022 GMT+1

Daredevil Plane Swap Stunt Goes Horribly Wrong

Things took a disastrous turn in Arizona on Sunday when two pilots attempted the first ever ‘plane swap’

Aisha Nozari

Aisha Nozari

Things took a disastrous turn in Arizona on Sunday when two pilots attempted the first ever ‘plane swap’.

Armed with nothing but a parachute, high-flying cousins Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington attempted to swap planes at 12,100 feet, in what would have been an aviation first. 

But the situation quickly deteriorated, with Aikins’ plane spiralling out of control and almost colliding with the other plane as Farrington confirmed over the radio: “Blue plane is out of control.”

Advert

He was forced to deploy his parachute and could be seen falling to the ground in captured footage.

Take a look at the nail-biting moment below:

Thankfully, no one was injured during the daredevil stunt, orchestrated by Red Bull, but the clip will certainly hoist your BPM.

Advert

Aikins and Farrington took off at around 5:45 p.m. local time on Sunday and cruised the Arizona skies for almost an hour before launching themselves from their planes after engaging an airbrake system.

According to USA Today, Aikins’ plane was also kitted out with a parachute that automatically activated at a certain altitude, in turn lessening its impact with the ground. 

Speaking in the aftermath of the near-miss, Farrington said there ‘wasn’t a chance’ the plane swap could have taken place once the aircraft started spiralling. 

The two planes almost collided after the stunt went horribly wrong.
Red Bull/Discovery+

Advert

"It just went and instead of stopping in that 90 degree dive, it just kept going and got over on his back. It was just not a chance," he said, as per USA Today.

"You're just happy everybody's here and good and all that stuff, but just disappointed," Farrington added.

Pointing to the planes’ custom-made air brakes, which were key to the stunt’s smooth-running, Aikins said they were tested beforehand but the plane’s loss of centre of gravity may have caused it to nosedive. 

"I thought I left Andy a good plane. I'm trying to think of what else I could have done to make it better for him when I left," he said. 

Advert

Aikins and Farrington took off at 5:45 p.m. local time in Arizona.
Alamy

"We do what we can to prepare for this stuff and we hope it never happens. This is the best outcome of a bummer situation, really."

As for a do-over, Aikins confirmed ‘we are going to go back and figure this out’.

The planes’ air brakes were designed with the help of Paulo Iscold, an engineer and professor at California Polytechnic State University.

Advert

Tested ‘multiple’ times in San Luis Obispo airspace, the brakes mean the planes could ‘slow down’ while travelling at speeds reaching 140mph.

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected] 

Featured Image Credit: Red Bull/Discovery+

Topics: Sport, US News

Aisha Nozari
Aisha Nozari

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

an hour ago
2 hours ago
3 hours ago
  • an hour ago

    Teen dies aged 14 just days after contracting infection as doctor issue urgent warning

    William Hand tragically died on June 8 at the age of 14

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Celebrity chef Anne Burrell dies suddenly aged 55 as police release heartbreaking details

    Anne Burrell's family confirmed her death on June 17

    Celebrity
  • 3 hours ago

    88 children removed from Bible study camp as part of shocking human trafficking investigation

    The Christian camp has insisted parents are still happy to send their children

    News
  • 3 hours ago

    Popular smartphone banned on all planes is still in circulation amid concerns of it overheating and exploding

    Some people on TikTok admitted they were still using the phone, despite it being recalled

    News
  • Teen fatally shot by homeowners after viral prank goes horribly wrong
  • Terrifying moment host gets stabbed with nail on live TV after magic trick goes horribly wrong
  • Man kicked off flight as new hair transplant goes wrong leaving his scalp leaking
  • Cirque du Soleil performer falls to the ground during live stunt in horrifying footage