29-year-old Trevor Jacob will face up to 20 years in federal prison for deliberately crashing his plane for more followers
YouTube influencer Trevor Jacob has plead guilty to “obstructing a federal investigation,” after he deliberately crashed his small single-engine plane in California’s Los Padres national forest in November 21.
In a statement by the US Department of Justice, the 29-year-old will face up to 20 years in federal prison.
Jacob had pulled the stunt in the first place to reportedly boost views on his YouTube channel. However, he parachuted out of the plane before it crashed, initially told investigators that his plane lost power and he did not know where the wreck was.
Yet, federal authorities found no evidence to support his claim, after discovering that he made no attempt to call air traffic control, restart his engine or search for a safe place to land.
The YouTuber, who described himself as an experienced pilot and skydiver, admitted in his plea agreement that he never intended to complete his solo flight from Lompoc airport in southern California to Mammoth Lakes in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Prior to taking off, Jacob mounted several video cameras on different parts of the plane and equipped himself with a parachute, video camera and selfie stick, the statement said, adding that about 35 minutes into the flight, he jumped from the plane and began filming the aircraft as it plunged into the dry brush below.
Once he touched ground, he hiked to the crash site and retrieved the footage from the crash.
Two days later, Jacob informed the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the plane crash but told investigators with the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration that he did not know where the wreckage was.
On December 10, 2021, Jacob and a friend flew to the crash site and towed the crashed plane to Santa Barbara county, where Jacob put it in a hangar.
Over several days, he destroyed sections of the plane and placed the parts in trash cans around the airport and elsewhere, which authorities say he admitted to doing in order to mislead investigators.
He uploaded a video titled “I Crashed My Plane” to YouTube on December 23, 2021. However, after investigation, the FAA revoked his pilot license in April 2022.