A Californian YouTuber named Trevor Jacob has staged a plane crash on his channel in an attempt to increase his views and attract more subscribers. Jacob’s channel features videos of him performing stunts and other adventurous activities. In November of last year, Jacob posted a video showing himself abandoning a small aircraft midair after experiencing an engine failure, which he claimed was an accident.
The video received over 2.9 million views, but it was later discovered that the “accident” was staged. Jacob has now pleaded guilty to one felony count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation. He could face up to 20 years in prison for his actions.
The US Justice Department revealed that Jacob planned to eject from the aircraft during the flight and parachute to the ground, while the aircraft descended and crashed. After the crash, Jacob hiked to the site, recovered the footage from cameras installed on the aircraft, and destroyed the wreckage with a friend in a helicopter. Jacob had initially reported a fake crashing accident to the authorities and claimed he was unaware of the crash site.
Jacob’s video drew suspicion from aviation experts and other YouTubers, who pointed out that he opened the aircraft’s door before the engine failure and did not search for a safe landing site nearby. Furthermore, he abandoned the plane even though satellite images showed there were ideal landing sites nearby.
Jacob’s latest agreement to plead guilty to staging a plane crash contradicts his earlier statements. In January, he denied purposefully crashing the plane for views, stating that he “films everything” he does. Jacob’s stunt highlights the lengths some content creators will go to generate views and revenue.
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