YouTuber who intentionally crashed a plane to gain views was sentenced to 6 months in prison

Trevor Daniel Jacob, a YouTuber who intentionally crashed a plane in order to gain views, was sentenced to six months in prison. The defendant had previously pleaded guilty to destroying the wreckage of the aircraft and destroying evidence in order to obstruct the investigation.

Central District of California | Santa Barbara County Man Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison for Obstructing Federal Probe into Plane Crash He Posted on YouTube | United States Department of Justice

The accident occurred on November 24, 2021. Jacob appeared to be flying solo from Lompoc City Airport in Santa Barbara County, California, to Mammoth Lakes in Mono County, and abandoned the aircraft midway through the route, citing engine trouble. The defendant attached multiple cameras to the plane and took pictures with a selfie stick in order to take pictures of the crashing plane and himself escaping from the plane with a parachute.

Two days after the accident, the defendants reported the accident to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which instructed them to preserve the wreckage for investigation. However, the defendant lied and said, ``I don't know where the wreckage is.''

Meanwhile, on December 10, 2021, the defendant and a friend recovered the aircraft from the crash site, secretly transported it to a hangar at Lompoc City Airport, and spent several days cutting up the wreckage and disposing of it in trash cans at the airport. Did.

The video taken by the defendant was uploaded to YouTube on December 23, 2021. Regarding the video, a viewer pointed out that ``the crash was intentional, not an accident,'' and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began an investigation.

Defendant Jacob submitted a false aircraft accident report stating that ``power was completely lost 35 minutes after takeoff,'' and also told FAA aviation safety officials, ``I didn't know how to land safely after the engine stopped.'' 'So I escaped with a parachute,' he lied.

Based on these facts, Judge John F. Walter sentenced Jacob to six months in prison for ``obstructing the investigation by intentionally destroying the wreckage of the aircraft and destroying evidence.'' The defendant had pleaded guilty to obstructing an investigation in May 2023.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California said, ``The defendant likely committed this crime in order to generate social media and media coverage and obtain financial gain.'' This type of ``fearless'' behavior It is unacceptable.''