YouTuber Trevor Jacob Purposely Crashed Plane In CA, FAA Finds: Report

SOLVANG, CA — YouTuber and former Olympic snowboarder Trevor Jacob in December recorded himself parachuting out of an airplane, which crashed into Los Padres National Forest. Now, federal authorities said he ditched the craft on purpose.

In a 12-minute video posted two days before Christmas and titled, "I Crashed My Plane," a smiling Jacob gives the camera a thumbs up as he flies. But as the plane flies over the Sierra Nevada mountains, Jacob appears to panic.

"Holy f---," he can be heard saying about 1 minute and 20 seconds into the video. "I'm over the mountains and I [expletive] got an engine out."

Jacob, a native of West Hills and Mammoth Lakes in California, unloads a string of expletives as the propeller stops spinning. He opens the cockpit door and dives out of the plane mid-flight. Jacob then holds a selfie-stick to record himself free-falling out of the plane, as cameras attached to the plane record the craft hurtling back to Earth.

Jacob makes a rough landing in some brush and unleashes more expletives as he cuts a finger and elbow.

"I'm just so happy to be alive," he said later in the video. "I'm just kind of taking in what just happened. Well, where the hell am I going to land a freaking plane? I'm going to die. That's why I always freakin' fly with a parachute."

The dramatic footage has garnered more than 1.7 million views on YouTube.

In January, Jacob said the flight was intended to spread the ashes of his best friend, Johnny Strange, who died while BASE jumping.

But the Federal Aviation Administration isn't buying Jacob's story.

In an April 11 letter to Jacob obtained by The New York Times, the agency said the daredevil broke aviation rules and carelessly or recklessly operated his single-engine plane, "so as to endanger the life or property of another.”

The agency pointed out that Jacob: opened the left side pilot door before claiming the engine failed; didn't try to contact air traffic controller over the emergency frequency; didn't try to restart the engine by increasing airflow over the propeller; and didn't look for a safe place to land, even though there were areas within gliding range. Furthermore, Jacob disposed of the wreckage, the FAA said.

The agency said it would rescind Jacob’s private pilot certificate. He could face further legal recourse if he doesn't return it, including a civil fine of up to $1,644 for each day he fails to do so, according to The Times.