YouTube personality Trevor Jacob has been sentenced to six months in jail for intentionally crashing his plane to garner views and subsequently misleading United States investigators.
The 30-year-old vlogger posted a video of the plane crash in December 2021, initially portraying it as an accidental incident. In the video, Jacob ejected from the plane, equipped with a selfie stick, and safely parachuted to the ground, amassing millions of views.
As part of a plea agreement, Jacob admitted that he filmed the video as part of a product sponsorship deal. Earlier this year, he pleaded guilty to one felony count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation.
Federal prosecutors in California asserted that Jacob likely committed the offense for self-promotion, social media visibility, and financial gain. Despite these motivations, they emphasized that such “daredevil” conduct cannot be tolerated.
Jacob, in a statement, acknowledged the humbling experience and deemed the sentence the “right decision.”
In November 2021, Jacob embarked on a solo flight from a Santa Barbara, California, airport with cameras mounted on his plane, a parachute, and a selfie stick. The US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California revealed that he did not intend to reach his destination but planned to eject from the aircraft mid-flight and record himself parachuting as the plane descended and crashed.
After the crash in the Los Padres National Forest, Jacob hiked to the site, retrieved the footage, and uploaded the video titled “I crashed my airplane” on YouTube on December 23, including a promotion for a wallet company. Some viewers expressed skepticism, noting Jacob’s pre-worn parachute and lack of effort to safely land the plane.
Despite reporting the crash to the National Transportation Safety Board, which stated he was responsible for preserving the wreckage, Jacob claimed ignorance of the site’s location. The video garnered nearly three million views before being taken down.