US YouTuber who vandalized plane wreckage agrees to plead guilty to up to 20 years in prison
Post Date – 11:15 PM, Sat – 5/13/23
Photo: IANS
San Francisco: A US-based YouTuber who deliberately destroyed the wreckage of a plane he intentionally crashed to gain online views has agreed to plead guilty and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Trevor Daniel Jacobs, 29, of Lompoc, agreed to plead guilty to one count of sabotage and concealment with intent to obstruct a federal investigation, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, according to the Justice Department.
On December 23, 2021, Jacob uploaded a YouTube video titled “I Crashed My Plane,” which contained promotions for the wallet and depicted him parachuting from the plane and the plane’s subsequent crash.
Jacobs admitted in his plea agreement that he intended to make money from the videos.
On November 24, 2021, Jacob took off from Lompoc Municipal Airport in his plane on what was alleged to be a solo flight to Mammoth Lakes. He admitted in his plea agreement that Jacob did not plan to reach his destination, but planned to eject from his plane during the flight and filmed himself parachuting to the ground and his plane as it descended and crashed.
Before takeoff, Jacob installed multiple cameras in different parts of the plane and equipped himself with a parachute, video camera and selfie stick.
About 35 minutes after takeoff, while flying over the Los Padres National Forest near Santa Maria, Jacob ejected from the plane and filmed himself parachuting to the ground.
Using a camera mounted on a selfie stick and a camera he mounted on the plane, Jacob was able to record the plane’s descent and crash into a dry scrub area in the Los Padres National Forest.
After parachuting to the ground, Jacobs hiked to the crash site and recovered data containing video recordings of his flight and the crash, the plea agreement said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have launched investigations into the crash.
On December 10, 2021, Jacob and a friend took a helicopter to the wreckage site. There, Jacob strapped in the wreckage, which was lifted by helicopter and transported to Santa Barbara County.
Over the course of several days, he placed the detached parts of the crashed plane in trash cans at airports and elsewhere, which he admitted in his plea deal to obstruct federal authorities investigating the Nov. 24 crash.
The FAA revoked Jacob’s pilot’s license in April 2022.
