Olympic snowboarder Trevor Jacob purposely crashed plane for YouTube video, US government rules
An Olympic snowboarder has been banned from flying his private plane after it was determined he deliberately crashed it for a YouTube video.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a US government transportation agency, began investigating Trevor Jacob after he posted a video of the incident last December.
Named 'I Crashed My Plane', the footage shows Mr Jacob parachuting out of a small Taylorcraft plane - which he said experienced engine failure - while flying over a California's Los Padres forest.
The video, viewed over 1.9 million times, then appears to show the plane crashing, nose-first.
The 28-year-old lands in some brush, exhibits a few scrapes and cuts, but says he's grateful he's safe.
"I'm just so happy to be alive... that's why I always freaking fly with a parachute," he adds.
Mr Jacob attached multiple cameras to the plane's exterior in order to capture the flight. He also used a selfie stick to film his descent via parachute.
The FAA wrote to Mr Jacob on April 11, saying he had violated federal aviation regulations by staging the "reckless" crash.In the letter, seen by ITV News, the agency wrote: “During this flight, you opened the left side pilot door before you claimed the engine had failed." Before jumping out of the plane, the agency said, Mr Jacob made no attempt to contact air traffic control, did not try to restart the engine by increasing airflow over the propeller and failed to look for a place to land, “even though there were multiple areas within gliding range in which you could have made a safe landing”.
“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 FAA continued.
“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 said it would immediately revoke Mr Jacob's private pilot licence.
Mr Jacob competed in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where he finished 9th in the men's boardercross event.He has also participated in a range of extreme sports, such as skateboarding, BMX riding and surfing. His YouTube channel has approximately 134,000 subscribers.