Justice Department officials announced Thursday that a 29-year-old YouTuber would plead guilty to a federal charge after destroying the wreckage of a plane he intentionally crashed to obtain views.
Trevor Daniel Jacob confessed to authorities that he intended to crash his aircraft in a promotional video he produced.
YouTuber Admits to Intentionally Crashing Plane
According to a news release from the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, he subsequently collected the aircraft's debris. He disposed of it to prevent federal investigators from examining the crash site.
Pilot and skydiver, Jacob pleaded guilty to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation. CNN has contacted Jacob's lawyer for comment. The flight date was November 24, 2021, as per CNN. According to the plea agreement, Jacob took off from Lompoc City Airport in Santa Barbara County but never intended to land the aircraft.
He intended to "eject from his aircraft during the flight and film himself parachuting to the ground and his aircraft as it descended and collided."
According to the release, Jacob installed multiple cameras throughout the plane and brought a parachute, video camera, and selfie stick. After parachuting to the ground and recording the collision, he hiked to the debris and took the video data of the crash with him.
Two days later, the YouTuber reported the accident to the National Transportation Safety Board and consented to share the crash site. However, he lied to authorities that he did not know where the crash site was. Approximately two weeks later, he and a companion flew to the site, loaded up the wreckage, and demolished it, according to a press release citing the plea agreement.
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Trevor Jacobs Staged Pane Crash for Sponsorship
Per NBC New York, approximately one month after the accident, he uploaded a YouTube video titled "I Crashed My Plane" that depicted the collision and Jacob parachuting from the plane. Several comments pointed out that Jacob was already wearing a parachute, did not attempt to navigate the aircraft to a safe landing area, and carried his camera and selfie stick with him when he jumped out of the plane.
He also confessed to lying to federal investigators after submitting an aviation accident incident report and fraudulently claiming the plane lost all power approximately half an hour after departure.
Per BBC, 35 minutes after departure, the aircraft crashed into Los Padres National Forest. He hiked to the location and retrieved the video. Some YouTube viewers were skeptical of the crash because Jacob was already donning a parachute and made no attempt to land the aircraft safely.
The National Transportation Safety Board informed him that he was responsible for preserving the wreckage after he reported the incident. According to the statement, he returned by helicopter, secured and removed the detritus, and destroyed it. The FAA revoked Jacob's pilot license last year. Jacob is anticipated to appear in court within the next few weeks.
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