YouTuber Trevor Jacob Really Did Crash His Plane On Purpose, FAA Finds

The crash was questionable from the beginning. Jacob, a YouTuber known for posting shocking content to his channel, said he lost control of his Taylorcraft BL64 during a flight over California’s Los Padres National Forest. But the video he made sure to share didn’t depict any attempts at restarting the engine or him even trying to regain control. Instead, Jacob abandoned ship fast, jumping out with a parachute (already) on his back while the plane crashed to the ground. The rest of Jacob’s video showed him finding the plane and then making his way through the mountainous forest until a group of farmers “saved his life.”

Career pilots and casual viewers alike were quick to cast a wary eye over certain parts of Jacob’s story, saying the crash must have been premeditated. It turns out they were right. Jacob “purposely abandoned the aircraft and allowed it to crash,” according to the FAA’s investigative findings, which were shared by The New York Times. A letter from the FAA to Jacob accuses the YouTuber of having operated his aircraft in a “careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another.” It points out that Jacob opened the door to jump before making the claim that the plane’s engine had failed and never made an attempt to contact air traffic control or restart the engine. Jacob also failed to seek out a safe place to land when multiple such areas were available per the FAA.

“You demonstrated a lack of care, judgment and responsibility by choosing to jump out of an aircraft solely so you could record the footage of the crash,” the FAA’s letter reads, according to the Times. “Your egregious and intentional actions on these dates indicate that you presently lack the degree of care, judgment and responsibility required of a certificate holder.”

The FAA has ordered Jacob to surrender his private pilot certificate immediately, threatening civil fines of up to $1,644 per day if he fails to act. Not having a certificate prevents Jacob from legally operating any aircraft again.

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