YouTuber, Trevor Jacob admits he intentionally crashed an aeroplane in 2021 for views on YouTube.
Trevor Jacob, in 2021 posted a video of himself ejecting from a plane as it crashed on Los Padres mountain, California. He has pleaded guilty in an investigation for intentionally filming the incident as part of a product sponsorship deal and he could face up to 20 years jail term.
The video titled ‘i crashed my plane’ so far has close to three million views in which the diver had an engine trouble propelling him to bail out midair.
The pilot and skydiver has agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, the US justice department said in a statement on Thursday
The YouTuber mounted cameras on his plane when he flew from the Santa Barbara, California airport. He took a parachute and a selfie stick along with the cameras.
He “did not intend to reach his destination, but instead planned to eject from his aircraft during the flight and video himself parachuting to the ground and his airplane as it descended and crashed”, the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said.
The plane crashed into the Los Padres National Forest 35 minutes after takeoff. He hiked to the site and recovered the footage.
Following the crash, he reported to the National Transportation Safety Board, who said he was responsible for preserving the wreckage. According to the plea agreement, Mr Jacob later claimed he did not know the location of the site.
He did, and returned by helicopter and secured and removed the wreckage, which he later destroyed, the statement says.
Mr Jacob is expected to make his initial court appearance in the coming weeks.
His pilot’s licence was revoked last year.