The Federal Aviation Administration sent a letter to Trevor Jacob on April 11, 2023, informing him that his pilot’s certification was being revoked. The letter read, “On November 24, 2021, 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.”

Jacob had denied the accusation on numerous occasions, including in a statement to The New York Times, stating flatly, “I’ll happily say I did not purposely crash my plane for views on YouTube.” In May, however, as part of a guilty plea he admitted the truth that the crash intended to boost views for a sponsorship deal on his YouTube channel.

That lie was only the tip of Jacob’s iceberg of falsehoods related to the crash. He lied to FAA investigators by telling them he didn’t know the location of the plane’s remains, when he’d previously contracted a helicopter firm to airlift the wreckage to a nearby hangar for disposal. Jacob also lied when he told investigators the initial reason for the crash was that his plane lost all its power and he parachuted after not being able to find any safe landing options. In their letter, the FAA noted that Jacobs’ own footage showed that he’d failed to take all the necessary steps to attempt a safe landing. According to the FAA’s analysis, Jacob’s actions were “egregious and intentional.”

Andew Madsen is a representative of the Los Padres National Forest, the location where Jacob’s plane crash landed. Madsen called the stunt dangerous and noted that anyone who intentionally causes a wildfire can be held liable for all costs associated with fighting the fire. He said, “Thankfully this incident did not spark a fire.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Taking shortcuts to fame and success often involves reckless behavior that can threaten our safety and/or ruin our reputation. You can lose more than you can gain.