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Staged or not ? Pilot suffers engine failure and parachutes himself out

By

Bart Noëth

 -

26 December 2021

1

On 24 November, a Taylorcraft BL-65 (registered N29508) was flying near New Cuyama Airport, California, United States. Following a report from the pilot that he made to the FAA and the NTSB, the aircraft suffered an engine failure forcing him to evacuate the aircraft by using his parachute with a skydiving harness.

Subsequently, the aircraft crash landed into the mountainous region. The entire scene was filmed by a lot of go-pro cameras, the pilot even used a stick on a go-pro to film his jump.

The start of the YouTube clip show Trevor Jacob taking to the skies to spread the ashes of his best friend Johnny Stranges above the Sierra Nevada mountains. Trevor says that he wants to document and upload this trip, hence the many cameras.

During the flight, the aircraft suffers an engine failure. Trevor claims that he couldn’t find a proper spot to land after his engine failure so the decision was quickly made for an emergency evacuation and a parachute jump.

After his jump, Trevor is able to quickly locate the crash site. After collecting his cameras, Trevor starts a hiking trip back to civilization (and phone service).

Online comments indicate that the whole scene was staged, YouTube member Florian seems to have a valid opinion:

One hell of a video, but I’m calling the shots here and say this was staged … I also have a private pilot and a skydiving license and too many things don’t add up: Firstly, I don’t know any pilots flying with their skydiving rig. It’s just too bulky and uncomfortable. That’s what emergency pilot’s chutes are for.

Secondly, after an engine out, most pilots’ reaction would be to attempt a restart and then look for a possible landing spot to glide in. It’s of course difficult to judge from the wide-angle footage, but I think there are dry river beds and open fields in the valleys. And an old light plane should be able to glide in at low speed giving you a good chance of survival. Also, aren’t ELT crash beacons mandatory in all aircraft in the USA as well? I would have stayed at the wreck after landing.

And last but not least, all the cameras – including during the free fall – are just perfectly placed to cover this emergency … what a coincidence. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the FAA launching a full investigation very soon.

Reading through the other (and many) comments, I could also believe that the thing is staged. Trevor uploaded his adventure on social media platform YouTube.