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The Federal Aviation Administration determined that a popular YouTuber staged a plane crash for views. Trevor Jacob uploaded a 13-minute video of the plane crash to his YouTube channel on December 23, 2021, claiming his engine failed during a flight on November 24.
Jacob was flying over the Los Padres National Forest in California when his propeller stopped working. Jacob then abandoned his plane and jumped out, parachuting to safety. He landed in the brush and managed to find the wreckage of his aircraft. He said that he spent over six hours hiking through the wilderness until he was found by a farmer.
When the video was first posted, many people believed Jacob had staged the crash. An FAA investigation into the matter confirmed their suspicions. According to the New York Times, the FAA cited several factors in their determination, including the fact that he was already wearing a parachute when the engine malfunctioned.
The agency also noted that Jacob never tried to restart the engine and never contacted air traffic control. The report also pointed out that he didn't look for a safe place to land, "even though there were multiple areas within gliding range in which you could have made a safe landing."
The FAA told Jacob that it was revoking his private pilot certificate. If he fails to turn it in, he could be fined up to $1,644 per day.
"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 agency said. "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."