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YouTuber Who Intentionally Crashed Plane Pleads Guilty, Faces 20 Years In Prison

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Trevor Daniel Jacob, a 29-year-old YouTuber who intentionally crashed his airplane while pretending it was an unavoidable accident, has pleaded guilty to federal charges and faces 20 years in prison, according to an announcement from federal prosecutors on Thursday.

Jacob, who lives in Lompoc, California, pleaded guilty to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Central District of California.

Jacob took off from Lompoc City Airport in California on November 24, 2021 and claimed he was flying to Mammoth Lakes. Jacob outfitted the plane with cameras from several angles and about 35 minutes after take off he ejected from the plane above the Los Padres National Forest.

The video, which currently has over 2.9 million views, is still available on YouTube and shows Jacob swearing repeatedly, pretending that his engine has gone out and that he needs to abandon the aircraft. Jacob jumped out of the plane while wearing a parachute and even captured video of himself the entire time.

Once Jacob safely parachuted to the ground he hiked to the plane wreck. The cameras that had been mounted on the aircraft captured the entire crash and were published as part of his subsequent YouTube video.

The video also shows Jacob hiking, explaining that he was “just so happy to be alive,” and becoming “so thirsty” that he drinks from a nearby stream. This was also captured by Jacob’s camera, thanks to his handy selfie stick. After night fall, viewers see Jacob notice car headlights in the distance. Jacob was then “saved” by nearby farmers.

Jacob told the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) about the crash on November 26, 2021 and the government agency launched an investigation. But that’s where Jacob’s plan to crash a plane for internet attention really starts to unravel.

“In the weeks following the plane crash, Jacob lied to investigators that he did not know the wreckage’s location, according to the plea agreement. In fact, on December 10, 2021, Jacob and a friend flew by helicopter to the wreckage site. 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,” federal prosecutors said in a press release.

Jacob then reportedly drove the plane wreckage to Lompoc City Airport and unloaded it in a hangar. Jacob cut up the wreckage of the plane over a few days and put the plane parts in different trash bins around the airport. Why? Jacob was doing this to obstruct federal investigators from looking into the cause of the crash. The YouTuber was apparently trying to monetize the video by promoting a wallet.

“Jacob further admitted he lied to federal investigators when he submitted an aircraft accident incident report that falsely indicated that the aircraft experienced a full loss of power approximately 35 minutes after takeoff. Jacob also lied to an FAA aviation safety inspector when he said the airplane’s engine had quit and, because he could not identify any safe landing options, he had parachuted out of the plane,” according to federal prosecutors.

The FAA revoked Jacob’s pilot’s license in 2022 and it’s not clear when sentencing is scheduled for in this case.

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