Trevor Jacobs - I Crashed My Plane (Video)

Trevor Jacobs, apparently an Olympic athlete (snowboarding?), posted a suspicious video a couple of weeks ago of him jumping out of "his" plane (a 1940 Taylorcraft), after it's engine "quits".

He survived the jump (he claims he ALWAYS wears a parachute while piloting?), but his plane wasn't so lucky and was destroyed when it slammed into the ground. There are numerous red-flags that most pilots should catch right away, but there are most likely other less glaring irregularities that aviation experts will need to identify.

My personal opinion is that this guy staged the engine failure, deliberately crashing his plane to get views on his channel. I suspect he'll lose his pilot's license if it is proven that trickery took place. The FAA is investigating. I'd like to hear your take on this video!

Its faked.Waay too many staged shots for it to be an accident.

a reply to: seattlerat

As a private pilot, I share your skepticism. On those occasions when I've had inflight emergencies, I didn't spend any time screaming obscenities into the GoPro. As a bare minimum, he should have tried to execute the engine restart procedure and communicate with ATC. (This assumes he had radios and transponder on board, which admittedly might not have been the case with a 1940 vintage aircraft.). Also, it looks like he was flying over the California coastal hills and--even though those hills are quite rugged--there are usually places where you could safely dead-stick a slow aircraft like the Taylorcraft to a landing that is probably safer than bailing out over the same terrain.

(Note: after writing this, I looked at the Wikipedia entry for Trevor Jacob and discovered that every issue I just raised was also discussed by other pilots.)

a reply to: seattlerat

Looks like he'll be losing his license.

I hope it was worth it to him!

originally posted by: Blackfinger
Its faked.Waay too many staged shots for it to be an accident.

The FAA should pull his ticket.

As a non-pilot, it seems clear to me:

too many cameras on the plane

he jumped too soon

he made sure to have a camera in hand

he made sure to video his plane during his descent

all of which adds up to Fake Video.

a reply to: Lazarus Short

And he had his door open before the engine failed.

If it is proven to have been staged, is there anything he could be charged with criminally?

a reply to: BrokenCircles

This happened in CA, I would assume the EPA or even PETA could get involved if they wanted to. No telling what kind of hazardous materials a plane-crash, staged or real, might leave in the immediate area where it impacted. It may have even displaced an endangered species if you looked hard enough.

I wonder how much he will try to bilk out of an insurance company for the loss of the airplane, surely it was insured? In addition to the FAA investigation, adjusters (if any) would want to stick their snoots into it I would think...

a reply to: seattlerat

If he has faked the whole staged the engine failure for social media and is investigated. He does run the risks of losing his license.

a reply to: BrokenCircles

He could lose the piloting license if its proven not to be staged.
Imagine if this was Boeing airliner.

a reply to: seattlerat

Sweet Jesus that was awful.

Did he try and run the air start checklist?
Did he attempt to use the emergency frequency? It's been a few years, but I still know it's 121.5.
Did he even attempt to find somewhere to set it down? He had a lot of altitude for that aircraft.
Why would he have a parachute on a regular, non-aerobatic flight?

I get the cameras all over, including him having one handheld on the way down. That's the way these idiots are: obsessed with recording everything for the likes, shares, and attention.

ETA: I hope he's hit with all sorts of criminal negligence and endangerment charges.

Now he's a definite contestant in 2022 Darwin Awards.
Also leading the pack in "worst staged insurance scam's 2022"!

a reply to: seattlerat

The propellor wasn't turning when he jumped, but it was after he jumped.

a reply to: Sookiechacha

An unfeathered prop will spin as it catches the wind.

a reply to: seattlerat

Let me get this straight, as soon as the engine stops he bails and doesn't try to dead stick to a landing? If I'm not mistaken, the door was already open before the engine stopped.

a reply to: seattlerat

his door was already open before any issues

the parashot he was wearing was a skydiving shoot

he was rocking the yoke back and forward trying to stall out

he never looked for a landing spot, there are a few spots he could have landed in

and lastly its funny he had all these cameras inside the cabin but when things go wrong he doesnt show it. instead of TRYING to stall out he could have been concentrating on his best glide path and calling a mayday and grabbing the cameras to prove it wasnt his fault



this was stupid at best and criminal in reality

I think it was a poorly staged event. Dufus had a parachute for emergencies and nothing else in his emergency kit in an 80 year old airplane. He never considered that he might land in the brambles or in a tree. Then there was the drama with really bad acting looking into the camera with angst.
I was rooting for the mountains.

Belongs in Jail,same as the idiot who flew the drone last year near a Blue Angels display.

originally posted by: Sookiechacha
a reply to: seattlerat

The propellor wasn't turning when he jumped, but it was after he jumped.

Most fixed pitched props don’t stop turning unless it reallly is a catastrophic engine failure where it locks up, extremely rare. The reason it stopped in his video, is you can see him pulling the airplane up to bleed off enough airspeed so much so that there is not enough airflow to drive the prop. First sign of a Complete fabrication.

You can see a dry River bed below, that would be a perfect spot for an emergency landing, no reason to jump, and no reason to ever wear a parachute unless you intend to do aerobatics with a passenger. (By regs)

Obviously in a real emergency, being able to hold a selfie stick and pushing the record button on the rest of the go pros would be the last thing on anyone’s mind if they even remember to do so.

I hope this douche bag gets the book thrown at him. General Aviation in the US is in a fragile state, and morons like this do not help.

I hope Cali fines him for destruction of wilderness environment, littering, hazmat cleanup, attempted arson, etc etc.

This Taylorcraft is 80 years old, a flying piece of history, now never able to be enjoyed by future kids wanting to learn to fly. One less piece of somewhat affordable flying as well.