Last year a YouTuber known for flying his plane was forced to abandon it mid-flight before parachuting to safety. Now the incident is getting him in trouble and being called a stunt for clickbait, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The YouTuber, Trevor Jacob, was flying his plane over the Los Padres National Forest in California on Nov. 4 when he abandoned the aircraft because a propeller allegedly stopped working.
However, the near-death escape has now earned Jacob a ban from flying from the FAA because it said he operated his plane in a "careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another," according to a letter The New York Times obtained.
The FAA went on to say that Jacob only jumped from the plane because he wanted to record it for his YouTube channel, not because he was in any danger.
"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."
Jacob has said he will not comment on the issue saying his attorney has advised him not to. Still, he did say "the truth of that situation" will come out as time goes on.
Jacob, a former Olympian, originally published the video of his plane's engine cutting out on him mid-flight on Dec. 24.
"Holy s–t. I'm over the mountains and I have an engine out," Jacob said in his video with over 2 million views.
Once the propeller stopped spinning, Jacob could be seen opening his door to look down at the ground while the plane glided. He then jumped out of the plane, seen from a camera placed on its wing.
Jacob filmed himself with a selfie stick falling before showing the plane travel to its own crash landing. After making it to the ground, he said he was "just so happy to be alive."
"I'm just kind of taking in what happened," he continued.
He then located the plane where it crashed and thanked a "higher power" for helping him survive. The video shows him taking off for help which he said took six hours of wandering to find.
Aviation experts have doubted the accident since Jacob posted his video on Christmas Eve, the Times reported.
In its letter, the FAA pointed to several mistakes, including not trying to contact air traffic control, not trying to restart the engine he said cut out on him, and not attempting to find a place to land safely.
Lastly, Jacob "recovered and then disposed of the wreckage" himself before it could be investigated, according to the FAA.
As for the legal trouble he could face?
The FAA only has the right to revoke his private pilot certificate, so prosecution would have to come from somewhere else. But if he does not surrender his certificate, he could face a fine of $1,644 for each day he holds it.
