Hide/Show Archive Navigation.

All News

May 12, 2023

Plane-Crashing YouTuber Admits Wrongdoing

The Secondary Perils of Deliberately Crashing Aircraft

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on 11 May 2023 that a YouTuber who deliberately crashed an airplane for purpose of increasing his online viewership has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge of obstructing a federal investigation. Trevor Daniel Jacob, 29, of Lompoc, California, who—in addition to the aforementioned, willfully destroyed the wreckage of the crashed aircraft—agreed to plead guilty to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, a crime that carries a statutory maximum sentence of twenty-years in federal prison.

eVTOL Sportster Will Integrate the SafeAir Recovery System

Jetson has announced the selection of ParaZero's SafeAir parachute recovery system for their ONE, the firm's single-person electric VTOL aircraft. The company has captured attention with a handful of adverts that show a more sporty, personal approach to eVTOL design, less focused on utilitarian cargo carriage and more on the visceral excitement of a flying sports car. Just as general aviation manufacturers have seen success in courting a wider customer base using airframe parachute systems, the ONE's incorporation of a safety chute should help to open up an even wider swathe of prospective pilots.

The Right Wing Separated In Flight, At Approximately The Mid-Length Section Of The Right Flap

On April 26, 2023, about 1425 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177B (illustrated below), N123DS, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Watkinsville, Georgia. The private pilot and a pilotrated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The fight departed Leesburg International Airport (LEE), Leesburg, Florida about 1131 on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan to Barrow County Airport (WDR), Winder, Georgia. Approaching WDR, the pilot established communication with the Atlanta Approach (A80) air traffic controller while descending to 4,000 ft.