The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has revoked the private pilot certificate of Trevor Jacob, the YouTuber who – back in November 2021 – filmed (staged) his own flight. Trevor took to the skies with his Taylorcraft BL-65 to spread the ashes of his best friend Johnny Stranges above the Sierra Nevada mountains. His aircraft was mounted full of go-pro cameras.
During the flight, the aircraft suffered an engine failure. Trevor claimed that he couldn’t find a proper spot to land after his engine failure so the decision was quickly made for an emergency evacuation and a parachute jump.
After his jump, Trevor is able to quickly locate the crash site. After collecting his cameras, Trevor starts a hiking trip back to civilisation (and phone service).
In a letter to Trevor Jacob, the FAA said that he violated federal aviation regulations and operated his single-engine plane in a “careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another.”
“Mr. Jacob made no attempt to contact air traffic control on the emergency frequency, did not try to restart the engine by increasing airflow over the propeller and failed to look for a place to safely land, ‘even though there were multiple areas within gliding range in which you could have made a safe landing.’
After the crash, the FAA noted that Mr. Jacob also ‘recovered and then disposed of the wreckage: “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…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 can only suspend certificates and issue fines but is not able to prosecute. Trevor will now have to return his private pilot certificate to avoid further prosecution: a civil penalty of up to $1,644 for each day that he doesn’t return his licence might be due.
Staged or not ? Pilot suffers engine failure and parachutes himself out
