A YouTuber known for his daredevil antics, Trevor Jacob, has been sentenced to six months in jail as part of a plea deal after intentionally crashing his plane to garner more viewers for his channel and subsequently lying to investigators, according to US authorities.
In a video titled "I crashed my airplane," Jacob, a former Olympic snowboarder, appears to experience engine trouble while flying over southern California in November 2021. The video captures the dramatic moment as he ejects from the single-engine plane, holding a selfie stick, and parachutes into the dense vegetation of Los Padres National Forest—cameras on the aircraft document its uncontrolled descent and eventual crash landing.
Following the crash, Jacob films himself hiking to the wreckage, expressing dismay at the disappearance of his packed water. Despite this setback, he recovers footage from the cameras and documents his challenging trek through the undergrowth to reach safety.
Investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were launched, and Jacob claimed he did not know the crash site. However, it was revealed that he and a friend flew to the wreckage site by helicopter, secured the remains, and transported them to Rancho Sisquoc in Santa Barbara County. The wreckage was eventually cut into small pieces and disposed of in trash bins in and around Lompoc City Airport to conceal evidence of the crash.
The FAA revoked Jacob's pilot's license in April 2022. Faced with mounting evidence, Jacob reached a plea deal, admitting guilt to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation. The US District Attorney's Office for the Central District of California stated that Jacob had lied to investigators by submitting a false aircraft accident report, likely driven by a desire for social media attention and financial gain.
The original video and subsequent posts related to the incident have been removed from YouTube. Pilots and aviation experts have criticized Jacob for his actions, noting his failure to take basic steps to restart the troubled engine and questioning the unusual choice of wearing a parachute while flying a small aircraft.
