PHOENIX — An attempt to complete a groundbreaking stunt sent a plane plummeting into the Arizona desert over the weekend.
The Red Bull Plane Swap on Sunday was billed as a world-first. The two stunt pilots tried to swap their Cessna planes after jumping out while mid-air during a controlled dive at the same time.
But the stunt went awry, and one Cessna 182 spun out of control and crashed.
The pilot had to parachute back to the ground and landed safely. The other pilot gained control of the other Cessna and landed the plane.
The FAA said in a statement that the agency denied Red Bull’s request on Friday for a safety exemption to perform the stunt.
An investigation is underway by the FAA.
It's unclear why the stunt went wrong or where the planes took off from.
12 News did not obtain comment from three skydive companies located at the Eloy drop site.
A spokesperson for The City of Eloy, which operates a municipal airport, tells 12 News the city was unaware of the stunt.
This is a developing story. Stay with 12 News for the latest updates.
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