A YouTuber known for his daredevil stunts, who intentionally crashed his plane to generate more views for his channel and subsequently lied to investigators, has been sentenced to six months in jail after striking a plea deal, as announced by US authorities on Monday.
The event, captured in a video titled “I crashed my airplane,” shows Trevor Jacob encountering apparent engine trouble while flying over southern California in November 2021.
The dramatic footage, widely viewed on YouTube, depicts Jacob ejecting from the single-engine plane with a selfie stick in hand, parachuting into the dense vegetation of Los Padres National Forest.
Cameras on the aircraft document its uncontrolled descent and eventual crash landing in the forest. Following the crash, Jacob, a former Olympic snowboarder, films himself hiking to the wreckage, expressing dismay at the vanished water supply but ensuring the recovery of the footage.
Subsequently, investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were initiated. Jacob, however, misled officials, claiming ignorance about the crash site location despite being ordered to preserve the wreckage.
The plea deal resulted in a six-month jail sentence for the YouTuber, highlighting the consequences of his deceptive actions.
“In fact, on December 10, 2021, Jacob and a friend flew by helicopter to the wreckage site,” the US District Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said Monday. “There, Jacob used straps to secure the wreckage, which the helicopter lifted and carried to Rancho Sisquoc in Santa Barbara County, where it was loaded onto a trailer attached to Jacob’s pickup truck.”
In an attempt to conceal evidence of the crash, the wreckage of the single-engine plane was dismantled into smaller fragments and disposed of in trash bins in and around Lompoc City Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), responsible for regulating aviation in the United States, revoked Jacob’s pilot’s license in April 2022.
Facing increasing scrutiny from investigators, Jacob entered into a plea deal, acknowledging guilt for one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation.
This agreement reflects the legal consequences arising from his actions in attempting to hide evidence related to the intentional plane crash.
“Jacob lied to federal investigators when he submitted an aircraft accident incident report that falsely indicated that the aircraft experienced a full loss of power,” the US District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
“[Jacob] most likely committed this offence to generate social media and news coverage for himself and to obtain financial gain,” federal prosecutors said.
“Nevertheless, this type of ‘daredevil’ conduct cannot be tolerated.” Jacob’s original video, along with several others he posted after the escapade, have now been removed from YouTube, but a copy can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41iOvFuKsyY
Pilots and aviation experts have expressed significant criticism towards Jacob in the nearly two years since the video’s initial release. Numerous experts have highlighted Jacob’s failure to undertake basic measures to restart the seemingly troubled engine of his plane.
Critics have also emphasised that Jacob had the option to safely glide the aircraft to a landing spot, raising questions about the necessity of ejecting from the plane.
Furthermore, wearing a parachute during the operation of a small aircraft was deemed highly unusual by industry professionals, prompting additional scrutiny of Jacob’s
The aviation community’s assessments underscore concerns about safety protocols and decision-making in the context of Jacob’s actions.