YouTuber Trevor Jacob admitted that he deliberately crashed an airplane to get views. He pleaded guilty to obstructing the investigation by clearing the crash site.
Jacob admitted to authorities that he intentionally crashed an airplane in the video as part of a sponsorship deal to promote a wallet.
He pleaded guilty to charges of tampering and concealment with intent to obstruct a federal investigation and could face up to 20 years in prison.
Jacob flew the plane from Lompoc City Airport in the City of Santa Barbara, California to Mammoth Lakes on November 24, 2021. But in his defense note he stated that he had no plans to land the airplane properly.
"(He) planned to exit his plane during the flight and filmed himself parachuting to the ground and the plane as it descended and crashed," the United States Attorney's Office for the Central District of California said in a statement, as quoted by CNN, Sunday (14/5/ 2023).
Jacob is known to have installed several cameras in several parts of the plane. While over Los Padres National Park about 35 minutes after takeoff, Jacob stepped out of his plane wearing a skydiving parachute and carrying a video camera and selfie stick to record himself.
After landing using a parachute and recording the plane crash, Jacob climbs to the location of the wreckage and takes video data of the crash.
Two days later, Jacob reported the crash to the National Transportation Safety Board and said he would provide the location of the wreckage. But he actually lied and told authorities that he did not know where the plane crashed.
Two weeks later, Jacob flew to the crash site with a friend. He took the wreckage to a hangar in the City of Santa Barbara and destroyed the plane's parts and disposed of them.
About a month after the plane crashed, Jacob uploaded a video titled 'I Crashed My Airplane' on his YouTube channel which has around 137,000 subscribers. Currently the video has been watched more than 2.9 million times.
However, some viewers and other aviation YouTubers suspected Jacob's actions. Some commented that they wondered why Jacob was already wearing a parachute, not trying to maneuver the plane into a safe landing area, and carrying a selfie stick when he exited the plane.
Jacob also admitted to having falsified the accident report he filed after the crash and lying to investigators. Jacob's pilot license was revoked by the Federal Aviation Administration last year.