YouTuber Trevor Jacob purposely crashed plane, FAA says
Jacob could face fine of over $1,600 for each day he does not turn in his private pilot certificate to the FAA
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YouTuber Trevor Jacob's private pilot license has been revoked after the Federal Aviation Administration determined he purposely crashed his plane in California in the fall.
The FAA is demanding that Jacob immediately surrender his certificate and any other certificates he holds following the November incident, which had been posted to his YouTube channel.
The clip, "I Crashed My Plane," has amassed more than 1.7 million views since being posted in December.
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The FAA said Jacob was the sole pilot of a plane (registered as N29508) that took off from Lompoc, California, Nov. 24. During the flight, Jacob jumped out of the plane while wearing a sport parachute backpack container, causing the plane to crash in the Los Padres National Forest in California, according to the FAA.
The primary runway of a small local airport in Carlsbad, Calif. (iStock / iStock)
The FAA determined Jacob "operated this flight purposely to cause N29508 to crash" due to several factors, including putting on the parachute and attaching multiple cameras to the plane prior to the flight, and then jumping out of the plane with a selfie stick.
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The FAA also said Jacob made no attempt to contact air traffic control or restart the engine prior to jumping. He also "made no attempt to look for areas to land safely even though there were multiple areas within gliding range" where he could have made a safe landing, the FAA continued.
After landing, the FAA said, Jacob "recovered and then disposed of the wreckage" of the plane.
As a result, the YouTuber, with over 133,000 subscribers, violated Federal Aviation Regulations, which state "that no person may operate an aircraft in a careless or reckless (manner) so as to endanger the life or property of another."
Jacob could face a penalty of more than $1,600 for each day he fails to surrender his license, according to the FAA.
Jacob will not be allowed to apply for new certificates for a year, per FAA regulations.