YouTuber admits crashing plane for video views and faces up to 20 years in prison
12 May 2023, 15:44 | Updated: 12 May 2023, 15:47
A YouTuber will plead guilty to obstructing a federal investigation after deliberately crashing the plane he was flying in a sponsored video.
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Trevor Jacob's video depicting the crash was viewed more than 2.9 million times.
He originally claimed he crashed the plane accidentally and said at the time that he did not jump out of his plane for views. But he later admitted to staging the incident for a sponsored video called: "I crashed my plane".
Mr Jacob, 29, has now agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, the US justice department said.
The charge, destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, carries a sentence of up to 20 years behind bars.
I Crashed My Airplane
Mr Jacob is expected to make a court appearance in the coming weeks.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said that he “did not intend to reach his destination, but instead planned to eject from his aircraft during the flight and video himself parachuting to the ground and his aeroplane as it descended and crashed”.
The crash took place in November 2021 while Mr Jacob flew over Los Padres National Forest in California.
The video shows him climbing out of the plane in mid-air, before jumping into a skydive from the door.
He films his descent to the ground, while cameras remain on the plane itself.
Mr Jacob claimed that the engine failed, but prosecutors claim he always intended to crash the plane.
He reported his crash to the National Transportation Safety Board, who said he was responsible for preserving the wreckage.
The Federal Aviation Authority said Mr Jacob flew in a helicopter to the site and took the plane's wreckage away to dismantle it in order to obstruct an investigation.
Some video viewers were sceptical of his story from the start, pointing out that he was already wearing his parachute and didn't even try to land the plane safely.
