Austrian energy drinks giant Red Bull had a mixed weekend when it came to its involvement in high-octane motor-based sporting action. While the company's F1 team took the top two spots at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, its efforts to pull off a daring 'plane swap' over in Arizona proved less successful.

10 years in the making

Over the years, Red Bull has made a name for itself as more than just an energy drinks company. This has become apparent through its extensive involvement in extreme sports, such as the legendary Red Bull Air Race. It also backed the Red Bull Stratos project, culminating in Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking skydive from an altitude of almost 39 kilometers back in October 2012.

Its most recent aerial endeavor was a stunt known as the 'Plane Swap.' As the name suggests, it planned for this to involve a pair of aircraft, whose pilots would switch from one plane to the other inflight. According to Red Bull's website, the "physics-defying feat" was to be the culmination of a decade of planning.

Using a pair of Cessna 182 aircraft (Red Bull-liveried for maximum brand exposure, of course), the skydivers involved in the attempt were Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington. The former of these daring US athletes is known for having been just the second-ever skydiver to have intentionally jumped (and successfully landed, using a polyethylene net) from an aircraft without a parachute.

Red Bull Air Race
The Red Bull Air Race, one of the company's other extreme ventures, was established in 2003. Photo: tataquax via Flickr

Stay informed: Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests.

An unsuccessful attempt

Red Bull's attempt at completing its 'Plane Swap' stunt took place yesterday, and was live-streamed via the Hulu platform. Aikins and Farrington were immensely well-prepared, having completed a reported 5,000 jumps together. The plan was for the aircraft to fly in formation before nose-diving from a 14,000-foot altitude.

Unfortunately, as seen in the video below, the audacious stunt didn't quite go to plan. While Aikins was able to cross over to Harrington's aircraft and land safely, the other plane spiraled out of control and crashed to the ground before Harrington could make the switch. As such, he parachuted safely to earth instead.

The aircraft had been fitted with parachutes in the event of such an occurrence taking place. However, as seen in the image above, the plane still sustained serious damage upon impacting the ground. According to NBC, the FAA stated:

"One of the two single-engine Cessna 182 aircraft used in the stunt crashed after it spun out of control. The pilot landed safely by parachute. The other pilot regained control of the second aircraft and landed safely."

GettyImages-1316096778 Cessna 182
The Cessna 182 is also known as the 'Skylane.' Photo: Getty Images

The airline industry is always full of new developments! What aviation news will you check out next?

Better news for Red Bull elsewhere in aviation

NBC notes that the stunt's failure has also prompted a federal investigation. The crash marked a bad end to what had been a good week or so for Red Bull, given that, earlier in the month, it held a skateboarding event on the site of the old terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY). It will surely be hoping that the crash doesn't take the shine off its efforts in Mississippi.

What do you make of this failed stunt? Did you watch the live stream? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Sources: NBC, Red Bull