YouTuber Trevor Jacob had his pilot’s license revoked by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration of the United States) after being involved in a plane crash. According to the agency, the influencer intentionally brought down the aircraft to get views on the internet.
Jacob will not be able to apply for a new pilot’s license for one year. The video titled “I crashed my plane” was posted in December 2021 and has already surpassed 2.3 million views on YouTube.
What happened?
The case happened during a flyover in a single-engine plane over the Los Padres National Forest, California, on November 24, 2021. “I’m over the mountains and… I have one engine off,” Jacob told his camera as he stood. sitting in the cockpit.
According to his account in the video, the propeller had stopped working. The next decision was to jump out of the plane. He filmed the entire process using a selfie stick before landing with his parachute in an open field.
In the images, it is possible to see the empty plane accelerate towards the mountains before crashing into the desert.
The Federal Aviation Administration began investigating the incident and concluded, in April of this year, that Jacob had shot down his 1940 Taylorcraft BL-65.
“On November 24, 2021, you demonstrated a lack of care, judgment and responsibility by jumping out of an aircraft just to record crash footage,” the agency says in its review.
“If you don’t hand in your certificates [de aviação] immediately, you will be subject to further legal action, including a civil penalty of up to $1,644.00, for each day you fail to deliver.”
According to the FAA, the clues that helped in the investigation were:
Too many cameras
Jacob attached several cameras to the outside of his plane, including a lens in the direction of the propeller to record images of the outside and inside of the plane during the flight. He even used a selfie stick to record himself. the accident raised an alert from investigators.
parachute backpack
Jacob donned a backpack with a parachute before taking off.
Wreckage disposal
The agency found that the pilot had recovered and disposed of the plane’s wreckage. The cameras attached to the aircraft were removed from the aircraft as well.
Other remarks
The pilot’s left side door was opened before the youtuber claimed engine failure. There was a failure to contact air traffic control on the emergency frequency before Jacob jumped out of the aircraft. The pilot made no attempt to search for safe areas for land, despite available options within safe range.
Jacob’s Reply
The youtuber posted a video last Saturday (23) commenting that he did not imagine that a video of an adventure would irritate so many feathers.
He further stated that the aviation community has been very hard on him. “I’m thinking of giving up completely [da aviação] because I’m hated,” he added.
*With information from The Guardian website
