YouTuber Trevor Daniel Jacob sentenced to jail for staging plane crash

Trevor Daniel Jacob, an influencer sentenced to six months in federal prison for delaying the investigation by destroying the wreckage after staging an aircraft accident in California to produce a YouTube video of himself parachuting to safety.

Trevor Daniel Jacob, 30, an accomplished pilot and skydiver, pled guilty in June to one count of obstructing a federal investigation by destroying and concealing evidence.

The video titled "I Crashed My Aeroplane", was released in December 2021 and alleged to show Jacob's little plane experiencing engine failure over the steep Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County. He leaped out, already wearing a parachute and holding a selfie stick camera.

Cameras positioned on the plane's wing and tail, as well as the camera he carried, captured his leap and the aircraft's plummet. According to the authorities, after landing, he hiked to the accident scene and collected video from the onboard cameras.

According to the plea bargain, Jacob had a sponsorship contract to sell a company's product in a video he would publish, and he never planned to complete the November 24, 2021 flight.

According to the Justice Department, Jacob later alerted federal authorities about the incident, was told he was responsible for preserving the debris, promised to establish its position - and then claimed that he didn't know the location.

Jacob and a buddy went to the spot in a helicopter that lifted the debris and carried it to a trailer attached to his pickup truck on December 10, 2021, according to the agreement. The plane was eventually disassembled, and the components were discarded in garbage cans.

The Federal Aviation Administration cancelled Jacob's pilot licence in 2022 in Lompoc, California.