According to US prosecutors, a YouTuber who deliberately crashed an airplane for views will admit to hindering a federal investigation by clearing the wreckage site.
The video of the plane crash was uploaded to YouTube in December 2021 by 29-year-old Trevor Jacob. Over 2.9 million people have already viewed it.
He claimed, in a plea agreement, that he made the video as a result of a sponsorship relationship with a company.
He might spend as much as 20 years behind bars.
Trevor Jacob was already wearing a parachute and made no attempt to land the plane safely
The US justice department announced on Thursday that the 29-year-old 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.
In November 2021, Jacob left a Santa Barbara, California airport on a solo flight with cameras mounted on his plane. Along with the cameras, Jacob took a parachute with him, as well as a selfie stick.
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.
35 minutes after takeoff, the jet crashed inside the Los Padres National Forest. He made his way there on foot and took the footage.
Given that Jacob was already wearing a parachute and made no attempt to land the plane safely, some YouTube viewers expressed skepticism about the incident.
He informed the National Transportation Safety Board of the collision, and they cited him for maintaining the debris. Jacob later claimed he was unaware of the site’s location, per the plea agreement.
He secured and retrieved the wreckage, which he later destroyed, and then flew back by helicopter, according to the statement.
In the upcoming weeks, Jacob is anticipated to make his first court appearance. His license to fly was suspended last year.