The FAA accuses a YouTuber of deliberately crashing his plane in order to make a viral video

Last year, former Olympic snowboarder Trevor Jacob's plane crashed over California's Los Padres National Forest, purportedly after the engine failed. The FAA believes it was a risky act.

Pro tip: If you want to make a viral film, purposely crashing an airplane is not the way to go.

Trevor Jacob, a former Olympic snowboarder, released a video titled "I Crashed My Airplane" in December. He states in it that he planned to scatter the ashes of his friend and fellow extreme sports enthusiast Johnny Strange over a Sierra Nevada mountain.

However, the plane's engine fails halfway through his voyage. Jacob ditches it over California's Los Padres National Forest, where it crashes and he parachutes to safety, all while filming and documenting the adventure for his YouTube video.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was less than enthusiastic. The agency wrote Jacob a letter earlier this month, according to The New York Times, claiming that his flight was "careless or reckless so as to harm the life or property of another."

According to the letter, which the FAA shared with PCMag, the acting administrator "finds that you lack the qualities essential to hold your private pilot license and any additional airman certificates awarded to you." Jacob's certificate, which was issued in 2018, was canceled by the agency, and he was told to relinquish it immediately or face fines of up to $1,644 each day. He does, however, have the right to appeal the ruling.

Jacob's footage depicts the takeoff, engine failure, his freefall from the plane, his parachute drop and landing in a thicket, an hours-long journey through the wilderness, stopping to see his plane's crash site along the way, and eventually finding a car late at night that delivers him back to safety. Jacob was able to catch the full descent of his plane, up to the point of it crashing, and include it in his video because his plane was equipped with numerous cameras.

Jacob's movie shows the takeoff, engine failure, freefall from the plane, parachute drop and landing in a thicket, an hours-long journey through the wilderness, pausing along the way to examine his jet's crash site, and eventually locating a car late at night that brings him back to safety. Because his plane was outfitted with multiple cameras, Jacob was able to capture the entire descent of his plane, right up until it crashed, and include it in his film.

Additionally, the FAA claims that "you leapt out of the [plane] while carrying a camera linked to a selfie stick and continued to capture the aircraft during your descent."