An American YouTuber who deliberately crashed his plane has been sentenced to six months in federal prison. The YouTuber, identified as 29-year-old Trevor Jacob, pleaded guilty to one count of destruction and concealment in an attempt to obstruct a federal investigation.
The probe was launched to ascertain the cause of the crash that occurred in 2021. He was sentenced on Wednesday.
Jacob "most likely committed this offence to generate social media and news coverage for himself and to obtain financial gain. Nevertheless, this type of 'daredevil' conduct cannot be tolerated," said the prosecutors in a statement issued after the sentencing.
According to a statement from the US attorney's office, Jacob not only crashed his plane deliberately but also purposely dismantled the wreckage of his small single-engine plane in Los Padres National Forest in California.utu
He even filmed the events leading up to the crash, including the moment when he jumped out of the plane with a parachute before it came crashing down. The YouTube video titled "I crashed my airplane" managed to get almost 3 million views for him. The video was later made private.
In the video, he can be seen having some trouble with the engine as he flies over southern California. He tried to somehow land the plane "safely" but failed to do so, and he decided to leave the plane and jump out with a parachute on him.
Trevor Jacob, the YouTuber who caused a plane crash for views, is sentenced to 6 months in federal prison pic.twitter.com/FvT7W6LYxt
— BNO News (@BNONews) December 4, 2023
The cameras placed on the aircraft managed to film its dramatic descent into the forest as well. Jacob also managed to capture his troubles upon landing in the forest on camera.
He filmed every moment he was in the forest while he was looking for a way out of it. He could be seen hiking up to the wreckage, giving updates about his well-being to his followers, until he comes across a vehicle and is rescued.
Despite the meticulous planning, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were able to ascertain that Jacob crashed his plane deliberately.
The authorities had ordered Jacob to preserve the wreckage. But he did not comply with the orders and cut up the plane into pieces and threw its parts in trash bins.
The authorities revoked his pilot's licence in April 2022 after they learned about the incident. In a plea agreement, he admitted that he made the video as part of a sponsorship with an unnamed wallet company.
In a statement issued by his attorney, Jacob accepted that what he did was wrong and that the entire experience has been "humbling".
"I have learned from my mistakes, and look forward to being a contributing member of society, and a mentor for youth. ... I am excited to continue my positive growth as a person through my six-month term in prison."
