Anything goes to guarantee views?! American YouTuber and snowboarder Trevor Jacob has lost his private pilot certificate and is effectively banned from flying other planes. The reason?! The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) discovered that the boy intentionally shot down a plane to create a dangerous situation and shoot a video for his YouTube channel, which has more than 100,000 subscribers. The publication has almost 2 million views.
According to information from the New York Times on Wednesday (20th), Jacob shared the recording last year with the name “I wrecked my plane”. In the post he simulates a conventional flight until he is “surprised” by technical problems on the plane and has to save himself with a parachute. Taylorcraft 1940 small model airplane crashed in Los Padres National Forest in Southern California. “I’m so lucky to be alive,” he celebrated as he landed on a bush. He claimed to have walked six hours before being found by a farmer.
In the video itself, professionals claimed that it was impossible to have a real accident, which eventually caught the attention of the FAA, which launched an investigation. The publication had access to the letter, which was sent to the YouTuber on April 11 with the outcome of the investigation. Jacob was warned that he had violated federal aviation regulations and operated his singleengine airplane in a “negligent or reckless manner to endanger the life or property of another person”.
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However, the FAA does not have the authority to sue Trevor, only to revoke and suspend certificates and impose fines which it promptly did. The agency also noted that if Jacob refuses to turn over the documents, he could face “further legal action” and a $1,600 (R$7,600) civil fine for each day of delay. Throughout the document, they have detailed everything found during the investigation.
“During that flight you opened the left pilot’s door before claiming that the engine had failed. He also said he did not attempt to contact air traffic control on the distress frequency before jumping out of the plane, did not attempt to restart the engine by increasing airflow over the propeller, and did not look for a safe place to land , although there were several areas within gliding range where you could have landed safely,” the agency wrote.
The letter also criticizes that Trevor salvaged and disposed of the wreck on his own without having passed the assessment of official bodies. “You have shown a lack of care, judgment and responsibility by choosing to jump from a plane just to take footage of the accident. Your blatant and willful actions on this data demonstrate that you currently lack the level of care, judgment and responsibility required of a certificate holder.”
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Jacob said in a statement in January that he flew that day to scatter the ashes of his best friend Johnny Strange on a Sierra Nevada mountain. In a video posted to his channel last week, he commented that he could not speak about the FAA investigation on instructions from the attorney. “But the truth of this situation will come out in time and I’ll leave it at that,” he downplayed. When asked by the New York Times, the Youtuber claimed he was unaware of the association’s letter and asked how they became aware of it. But after the publication answered him, he never returned.