On November 24, 2021, a 1940 Taylorcraft BL-65 took off from Lompoc Airport in California. It didn't have a destination. Not really. The pilot, a former Olympic snowboarder named Trevor Jacob, told people he was flying to Mammoth Lakes to spread a friend’s ashes. He wasn't. He was actually flying toward a federal prison sentence.
The Trevor Jacob plane crash wasn't an accident. It was a production.
Most people saw the viral video "I Crashed My Airplane." They saw the propeller stop. They saw Trevor jump out with a selfie stick, screaming while he parachuted into the brush of the Los Padres National Forest. It looked like a harrowing survival story. But the FAA and the Department of Justice eventually proved it was a calculated stunt designed to sell wallets. Honestly, the level of effort put into the cover-up was almost as dramatic as the crash itself.
Why the Trevor Jacob Plane Crash Was Never an Accident
Aviation experts smelled something fishy within hours of the video’s release. If you’ve ever spent time around pilots, you know they are obsessed with "stick and rudder" basics. When an engine quits, you don't just bail. You fly the airplane. You look for a clearing. You try a restart.
Jacob did none of that.
He already had his parachute on before the "emergency" even started. In a tiny Taylorcraft cockpit, wearing a bulky skydiving rig is incredibly uncomfortable and highly unusual for a cross-country flight. He also had cameras mounted all over the exterior of the plane. When the engine "failed," he didn't troubleshoot. He didn't radio Mayday. He just opened the door and stepped out.
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The plane, left to its own devices, plummeted into the mountainside.
The Investigation and the Missing Wreckage
Two days after the impact, Jacob reported the crash to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Standard procedure. The NTSB told him he was responsible for preserving the site. They needed to see the engine to determine why it failed.
This is where it gets messy.
Jacob told investigators he didn't know where the plane was. This was a lie. He had already hiked to the site to retrieve his camera footage. A few weeks later, he and a friend flew a helicopter to the wreckage, air-lifted it out, and hauled it to a hangar.
He didn't bring it to the NTSB. He brought it to a power saw.
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He cut the vintage plane into small pieces and scattered them in various trash bins around Lompoc. By the time the FAA revoked his license in April 2022, the evidence was basically landfill.
The Legal Fallout: From YouTube to Federal Prison
You can't just dump a plane in a National Forest for views. The Department of Justice took this very seriously. In 2023, Jacob pleaded guilty to one felony count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation.
- Sentence: 6 months in federal prison.
- Supervised Release: 2 years following his time inside.
- The Motive: Admitted in court that he crashed the plane for "notoriety and profit" to fulfill a sponsorship deal with a wallet company.
The judge wasn't amused. This wasn't just a "whoops" moment; it was a "daredevil" act that could have easily started a wildfire or hit someone on the ground. The Los Padres National Forest is dry. A sparking engine hitting that brush is a recipe for a disaster that a selfie stick can't fix.
Can He Still Fly?
Surprisingly, yes. After his license was revoked, Jacob went through the process of getting it back. By late 2023, the FAA confirmed he had been issued a new private pilot certificate. He had to wait the required year and re-do all his testing.
Some people in the aviation community are furious about it. They feel it undermines the "pilot in command" responsibility. Others think he served his time and followed the rules to get back in the air.
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Lessons From the Los Padres Forest
If you're a creator or a pilot, this whole saga is a massive cautionary tale about the "attention economy." Federal agencies like the NTSB don't have a sense of humor when it comes to staged emergencies.
Actionable Takeaways:
- Safety Over Subs: If you are filming in a high-stakes environment, the mission comes first. The second you prioritize the shot over the safety of the craft or the public, you're entering "obstruction of justice" territory.
- Federal Transparency: If the NTSB or FAA tells you to preserve a site, do not touch it. Moving wreckage without authorization is a fast track to a felony charge, regardless of your intentions.
- The "Record" is Permanent: Jacob’s own footage was the primary evidence used against him. Every angle he set up to make the video look "cool" was used by investigators to prove he never attempted to save the aircraft.
The Trevor Jacob plane crash ended up being the most expensive video he ever made. It cost him his reputation, his original wings, and six months of his life.
If you're looking for more info on the technicalities of the FAA's decision, you can look up the "Emergency Order of Revocation" which outlines exactly which flight rules were broken, including operating an aircraft in a careless or reckless manner. It’s a sobering read for anyone who thinks "it's just a video."
Check the FAA’s public registry for the most current status on pilot certifications or look into NTSB accident reports for similar cases of "staged" incidents that ended in prosecution.