# Pilots, lawyers, etc: Let's talk about Trevor Jacob, YouTuber who may have intentionally crashed his plane for publicity **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 13, 2022, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985 "2022-03-13T19:46:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2023, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/101 "2023-05-22T10:28:29Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I wonder if old plane lovers feel the same way I do when I see some asshole on stage smash his guitar. _I don’t know who they think they are_ _Smashing a perfectly good guitar_ John Hiatt ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/102 "2023-08-29T18:35:24Z")
Mentour Pilot has just posted a new video in which he talks about the plea deal Jacob signed in May. Although the statutory max sentence is 20 years, the deal looks like it sets the range to between 18 and 24 months in prison. Jacob was charged with, and pled guilty to, obstructing the investigation, not for the crash per se. Petter suggests that the Forest Service or other agencies might charge him for the crash or other crimes, but that’s not clear. Would any of our resident lawyers care to comment on the plea agreement, whether there’s anything notable or unusual about it, what the sentencing section really says, etc? > **[jacob-plea-agreement.pdf](https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/jacob-plea-agreement.pdf)** > > 2.97 MB I thought when I saw the video that maybe Jacob will soon be sentenced or report to prison, but nothing like that seems imminent. So I don’t quite understand why Petter made the video now. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/GD40gfWAQLs/maxresdefault.jpg "Trevor Jacob is Going to JAIL!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD40gfWAQLs) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/103 "2023-08-29T23:06:23Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > How easy would it be to cut up an airplane into small enough pieces to discard in multiple dumpsters? Sounds like a huge pita, if true. Or use the parts for an improvised helicopter. You know, turn that huge pita into a gyro. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/104 "2023-08-30T02:35:12Z")
Go to your room, @Chronos, and think about what you did! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/105 "2023-08-30T06:03:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You know, turn that huge pita into a gyro. I’d give it a whirl. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/106 "2023-08-31T14:10:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You know, turn that huge pita into a gyro. This kind of joking is sub-standard. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/107 "2023-08-31T15:00:05Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > This kind of joking is sub-standard. **Chronos** is a bit of a grinder with respect to bad puns. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/108 "2023-08-31T15:50:32Z")
Nice one, you’re on a roll now. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/109 "2023-08-31T16:23:10Z")
Yeah, but I gotta beef with that turkey - he’s such a ham. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/110 "2023-08-31T16:50:00Z")
Trevor Jacob may end up going up the river, perhaps even [Up a Lazy River](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/(Up_A)_Lazy_River). ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/111 "2023-08-31T19:26:52Z")
‘As God as my witness, I thought Trevor Jacob could fly.’ ~ Tom ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/112 "2023-12-05T00:00:37Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Mentour Pilot has just posted a new video in which he talks about the plea deal Jacob signed in May. Although the statutory max sentence is 20 years, the deal looks like it sets the range to between 18 and 24 months in prison. He was sentenced today to 6 months. [https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/04/us/youtuber-federal-prison-fake-plane-crash/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/04/us/youtuber-federal-prison-fake-plane-crash/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/113 "2023-12-05T00:07:49Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > He was sentenced today to 6 months. That sounds right to me. I thought two years was too severe when nobody actually got hurt, but 6 months federal time (which I think _means_ 6 months, right?) is enough to send a solid message to deter such ridiculous behavior. I wonder if the judge has the power to impose a condition that he never make any money from posting anything on the internet for the rest of his life? Probably not, but that would be another fine deterrent. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/114 "2023-12-05T00:15:07Z")
According to that CNN article, Jacobs says the FAA reinstated his pilot’s license. Who the hell let _that_ slip past? The nearest he should ever come to a pilot’s seat again is if he buys a first-class seat on an airliner. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/115 "2023-12-21T22:35:43Z")
Oh boy! Our friend Trevor has had another emergency. Now it sounds initially like this may have been a genuine concern and not a YouTube stunt, but I reserve the right to change my mind if and when he puts out a video. > Three fire engines, two medical units, and Lompoc police were called to Lompoc Airport this Sunday around 1 p.m. after the tower at Santa Barbara Airport relayed an emergency call from Jacob. He was flying a single-engine Rans aircraft, which is registered to him > > “He thought there was a fuel issue,” explained Cody Lee, a battalion chief with Lompoc Fire who was among the dozen individuals who responded. He and his crew reached the airport shortly after Jacob landed safely. “There was no actual emergency action taken aside from staging,” Lee said of the lights-and-sirens response. > **[Santa Barbara County Dispatch Receives Emergency Call from Trevor Jacob](https://www.independent.com/2023/12/20/santa-barbara-county-dispatch-receives-emergency-call-from-trevor-jacob/)** > > The infamous YouTube pilot is flying again and called out after developing a fuel problem. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/116 "2023-12-21T22:37:42Z")
Wait, he still has a pilot’s license? ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/117 "2023-12-21T22:39:46Z")
> [Jacob’s pilot’s license was revoked by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)](https://www.independent.com/2022/04/22/youtuber-trevor-jacobs-pilot-license-revoked-following-scathing-faa-report/) five months later, and then was restored on a temporary basis while his new pilot application “is working its way through our standard process,” a spokesperson for the FAA said earlier this month. “Under the regulations, a pilot can reapply for a new certificate after a year unless a drug offense was involved,” she said. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/118 "2023-12-22T05:52:43Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > it sounds initially like this may have been a genuine concern and not a YouTube stunt It’s probably just coincidence. If I had an engine sputter or something I wouldn’t hesitate to call out the equipment just in case. The fact that it was so _large_ a response is undoubtedly SOP, not something our Trev would have had any control over. Unless there are 3 fires simultaneously all over town, they probably aren’t going to try to figure out exactly what’s minimally needed and triage. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Wait, he still has a pilot’s license? But yeah, this is the WTF part. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985/119 "2023-12-22T10:04:18Z")
I’m not a pilot but I have spent some time with model airplane enthusiasts, and learnt to fly (badly, also liked to do a loop to mess with my instructor). When the engine dies, you shout “dead stick” so everyone knows that you need priority on the runway. This has probably been covered but the photo of Jacob exiting the plane shows farmland just beyond the mountains and it really looks like gliding distance. Also the fact he has a license still is really WTF [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilots-lawyers-etc-lets-talk-about-trevor-jacob-youtuber-who-may-have-intentionally-crashed-his-plane-for-publicity/960985.md?page=5)