Trevor Jacob goes to federal jail for six months after he deliberately crashed an airplane allegedly for social media clout. The previous Olympic athlete admitted that he lied to investigators and disposed of proof. This could put a button on a prolonged investigation together with the lack of Jacob’s pilot’s license.
Your entire ordeal started in December of 2021 when Jacob posted a video to YouTube entitled “I Crashed My Airplane.” The movie documented what Jacob described as engine failure and his escape from the plane earlier than it crashed. He then hiked to the crash web site and recovered numerous cameras connected to it.
The video instantly made waves and in some circumstances not for the most effective of causes. Different pilots started to query a few of the issues portrayed within the video. As an illustration, Jacob makes point out of how he all the time wears a parachute whereas flying but, the one he wore wasn’t the kind a pilot would usually put on in his situation. Others observed how he appeared to have fireplace extinguishers in his pants legs as he exited the plane. Earlier this 12 months he pleaded responsible to destruction and concealment with the intent to hinder a federal investigation.
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At one level he instructed investigators that he didn’t know the place the aircraft was however on December tenth, 2021 he and a good friend with a helicopter airlifted the wreckage out of the crash web site. Jacob then destroyed the proof and discarded it. In 2022, the FAA revoked his pilot’s license because of its findings in reference to the crash. A part of Jacob’s plea settlement highlighted that he by no means meant to finish the flight and as an alternative had a sponsorship deal to advertise a product within the video.
“It seems that (Jacob) exercised exceptionally poor judgment in committing this offense,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum obtained by CNN. “(Jacob) most definitely dedicated this offense to generate social media and information protection for himself and to acquire monetary achieve. However, this kind of ‘daredevil’ conduct can’t be tolerated.”
Jacob wrote a letter to the choose on this case that apologized for the act and went on to say “Whereas I rigorously researched the aircraft route to verify the crash wouldn’t be close to human housing or path routes, I ought to have by no means gone ahead with it.” Evidently, the FAA has now reinstated his pilot’s license. He’ll have to attend at the very least six months earlier than he will get to flex his wings once more although.