Trevor Jacob Crash and Burn

I thought that he was a pretty stupid guy. Apparently I way under estimated him.

He played a stupid game and he's waiting for his stupid prize. I don't want to see the man's life ruined over this but another part of me believes he should lay in the bed he made for himself ...
 
Jacob drove the wreckage to Lompoc City Airport and unloaded it in a hangar. He then cut up and destroyed the airplane wreckage and, over the course of a few days, deposited the detached parts of the wrecked airplane into trash bins at the airport and elsewhere, which he admitted in his plea agreement was done with the intent to obstruct federal authorities from investigating the November 24 plane crash.

This is advanced stupid.
 
If I read it correctly the sentencing guideline is 14 years base plus 2 for aggravating factors ... Not saying/predicting that's what will happen, just what it looks like in that plea deal. It may be mean spirited of me but I'm kinda hoping he gets smacked good and hard ... I know shame on me, but this was stupid, dangerous, and needless.
 
Those wheels of justice do grind slowly but I’m glad he’s fessed up and won’t be flying (or felony-ing) again anytime soon.

Now if we could just get some similarly satisfying justice on Mr Palmer and this absurd no-can-has-flyby nonsense…
 
what always amazed me about this stunt was how little thought he put into hiding his true intentions and how stupid he thinks people are

like he put two fire extinguishers in his pant legs and set off on a flight to Mammoth without his ski gear wearing a parachute. hmmmmmmmm. i don't think people really took it as legitimate from minute one. it was an obvious fraud. the fact that he immediately hiked to the wreckage and then hid it from the NTSB is utterly hilarious. like the instant they found this out they knew

he could have just done a video of a manufactured engine out over an airport and landed and probably gotten as many views and none of the long arm of the law
 
readytocopy995 said:
what always amazed me about this stunt was how little thought he put into hiding his true intentions and how stupid he thinks people are
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That's what a few of us have been saying. I really don't like referring to anyone as "stupid" as it's unkind and very disrespectful but seeing his premeditated plan, how he executed it, and then his lame attempt at a cover up, it is quite bizarre.

Any person with an ounce of intelligence and a moment to think this thing through should come to the conclusion that this isn't even in the room where any intellect is present. I just don't get how in the world he came to the believe this was a great plan ...
 
donjohnston said:
Jacob drove the wreckage to Lompoc City Airport and unloaded it in a hangar. He then cut up and destroyed the airplane wreckage and, over the course of a few days, deposited the detached parts of the wrecked airplane into trash bins at the airport and elsewhere, which he admitted in his plea agreement was done with the intent to obstruct federal authorities from investigating the November 24 plane crash.

This is advanced stupid.
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It sure was a lot of work for no benefit.
 
Let see, he jumped out of a good plane over an unpopulated area for a publicity stunt. Dumbass doing a dumbass move, then he tried to cover it up. More dumbassery. But you know what? He deserves a big fine, plus be permanently barred from flying and maybe some community service. That's pretty much it.
 
R.L.Mauzy said:
If I read it correctly the sentencing guideline is 14 years base plus 2 for aggravating factors ... Not saying/predicting that's what will happen, just what it looks like in that plea deal. It may be mean spirited of me but I'm kinda hoping he gets smacked good and hard ... I know shame on me, but this was stupid, dangerous, and needless.
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He's not getting 14 years. The whole point of cutting a plea deal is that they spared him the time on the klinker. If I was facing 14-20, I'd take my chances with a trial. This guy is getting a suspended sentence and a ton of supervised time. I'm assuming his license will be revoked, not sure of the legality of being barred from ever re-applying for one.
 
hindsight2020 said:
I'm assuming his license will be revoked, not sure of the legality of being barred from ever re-applying for one.
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He might reapply for his pilot's certificate, but I'll be amazed if he ever gets another medical. This stunt sounds like a psychosis resulting in an overt act, one which endangered people on the ground and risked extreme damage (say if a fire had started).
 
Ya, him going to jail is like Martha Stewart going to jail… save the slot for a wife or kid beater.

Do something fun and humiliating to him… but he’s gonna be tough to beat in that category! Very accomplished at self depravity.
 
Note that the recommendations both in the plea agreement and the sentencing table are purely ADVISORY to the judge.
A federal judge is free to impose any penalty from nothing up to the statutory maximum.
 
flyingron said:
Note that the recommendations both in the plea agreement and the sentencing table are purely ADVISORY to the judge.
A federal judge is free to impose any penalty from nothing up to the statutory maximum.
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Yep, and even within the bounds of the plea bargain, the judge can go higher than offense level 15; the agreement only becomes invalid if the judge goes lower. So if the judge decides this is only, say, level 14, the prosecutors can take the plea bargain off the table and come back with the full list of charges.

To me, it reads as if they're determined that he go to jail for a while.
 
so the question I have is can you apply for a PPL with a felony? If I read this plea correctly he is pleading guilty to a felony and all of consequences therein.

@hindsight2020 - Re-read my post, I wasn't suggesting he was getting 14 -16 yrs, just pointing out that is listed in the plea deal in the sentencing guidelines since folks were asking. Now in all honesty I am feeling terribly unkind on the subject and shame on me but I hope he gets a total smack down for this. Totally different statements ..

@Half Fast - Thanks for that little nugget with the sentencing table, that made me smile :D

Also, if memory serves he already got his ticket pulled with a 1 year suspension. At least I thought he did already .... thus the question about felonies above ... maybe I'm just mean or old and grumpy but I don't like the idea of folks with this utterly cavalier an attitude actually flying an aircraft of any sort.
 
Solid plan. What could possibly go wrong? Part of sentence should be sterilization. He could never improve the gene pool.
 
That sure was some dumb azzery, even before knowing how it would turn out.

What becomes of his airline applications? I guess he screwed that up too.

He gets an ‘F’ in headwork.
 
I say make him rebuild 10 basket case Taylorcrafts to airworthy standards and ban him from YouTube forever.
I think he is more dumb than criminal.
 
A ban from social media (because he obviously does stupid and/or criminal things in order to bolster his online presence) and losing the privilege to ever fly again should be sufficient. If he ends up at a Federal Prison Camp (minimum security) or a Low Security Correctional Institution (LSCI) other than being around a bunch of child molesters and low level gang members/drug dealers, he will have a fair amount of freedom on the inside. I’d rather see his consequences affect his life on the outside for the 14-16 years, rather than put him away for 2.
 
Trevor Jacob is part of the Nitro Circus gang...there is actually a (much more) interesting video of him attempting to jump a motorcycle into a foam pit and nearly missing the foam pit if it wasn't for him pushing off of a nearby tree at the peak of his jump arc. If you are familiar with the Nitro Circus, you could see how any one of those guys getting a pilots license could lead to disaster.
 
R.L.Mauzy said:
so the question I have is can you apply for a PPL with a felony? If I read this plea correctly he is pleading guilty to a felony and all of consequences therein.

@hindsight2020 - Re-read my post, I wasn't suggesting he was getting 14 -16 yrs, just pointing out that is listed in the plea deal in the sentencing guidelines since folks were asking. Now in all honesty I am feeling terribly unkind on the subject and shame on me but I hope he gets a total smack down for this. Totally different statements ..

@Half Fast - Thanks for that little nugget with the sentencing table, that made me smile :D

Also, if memory serves he already got his ticket pulled with a 1 year suspension. At least I thought he did already .... thus the question about felonies above ... maybe I'm just mean or old and grumpy but I don't like the idea of folks with this utterly cavalier an attitude actually flying an aircraft of any sort.
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Well. I think that’s a very unreasonable position.


To answer your question I know a guy that’s working at a legacy airline with a felony record. If an ATP is attainable then private should be as well.
 
Kinda reminds me of that guy filming himself while pooping in that pristine lake in CO. Both are a way to bring trouble on oneself with very limited upside. Yeah, a few goofs will give them the high-five, but the negatives far outweigh that.
 
What would have happened to him if he just left the plane where it crashed and kept denying that it was intentional?

That had to have been his initial plan.
 
hindsight2020 said:
He's not getting 14 years. The whole point of cutting a plea deal is that they spared him the time on the klinker. If I was facing 14-20, I'd take my chances with a trial. This guy is getting a suspended sentence and a ton of supervised time. I'm assuming his license will be revoked, not sure of the legality of being barred from ever re-applying for one.
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In my experience (including an acquaintance that thought that fancied himself a junior Bernie Madoff), the Feds love to give people a taste of real prison. I would likely bet that he'll spend 18 months in the "club".
 
dbahn said:
What would have happened to him if he just left the plane where it crashed and kept denying that it was intentional?

That had to have been his initial plan.
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Since he had removed the original engine and replaced it with something less valuable (gonna bet there's no STC for that), and had rigged up an oddball fueling system, he would have been found out. He had to remove the evidence.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
Since he had removed the original engine and replaced it with something less valuable (gonna bet there's no STC for that), and had rigged up an oddball fueling system, he would have been found out. He had to remove the evidence.
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dbahn said:
What would have happened to him if he just left the plane where it crashed and kept denying that it was intentional?
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I am also wondering what @dbahn asked. Even given all of what @Kenny Phillips states, if the pilot had not lied at any point to any federal official or on any federal document, what would have been the likely maximum punishment?

Edit: “Not lying” is imho (From a legal perspective - not a moral perspective) not the same as freely and fully saying everything. Mostly “Not lying” with the Feds imho would be along the lines of, “Please speak with my attorney”.
 
I'm also guessing 18 months of jail time from the judge, but I don't think there would have been any jail time if he hadn't removed the wreckage and lied about it to federal investigators, which was the powerful basis for negotiating the plea agreement. All speculation, of course.
 
Mongoose Aviator said:
if the pilot had not lied at any point to any federal official or on any federal document, what would have been the likely maximum punishment?
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In my experience, had he followed a smarter path probably would have ended up with a 180 day suspension and few retests. When the game is up best to consult with an aviation attorney and come clean at his direction. The minute you cross the BS line in public you've dug your first hole.
 
Half Fast said:
Yep, and even within the bounds of the plea bargain, the judge can go higher than offense level 15; the agreement only becomes invalid if the judge goes lower. So if the judge decides this is only, say, level 14, the prosecutors can take the plea bargain off the table and come back with the full list of charges.

To me, it reads as if they're determined that he go to jail for a while.
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Nope, the judge is completely unburdened by any agreement the defendant and the prosecutor makes. That's the way it works in federal court. This is a stark difference from a lot of state courts where the judge is bound by both sentencing guidelines and by plea deals. In many cases he can refuse to accept the deal, but if he takes the guilty plea, he is bound by the agreement.
 
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