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YouTuber sentenced to prison for staging plane crash to make the video viral

A 30-year-old former Olympic athlete turned YouTuber has been sentenced to six months in prison after intentionally orchestrating a small plane crash to create a viral video on social media. Trevor Daniel Jacob, an accomplished pilot and skydiver, admitted in June to deliberately crashing his plane in November 2021 with the aim of capturing the event for a video that would attract likes, according to federal prosecutors in California.

Charged with one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, Jacob’s video, titled “I Crashed My Airplane,” was released in December 2021. The footage purported to show Jacob’s small plane experiencing engine failure over the mountainous Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County. In the video, he jumps out with a selfie stick camera, deploying a parachute he was already wearing.

Cameras mounted on the plane’s wing and tail documented the moments leading up to the crash and Jacob’s subsequent descent. After landing safely, he proceeded to the crash site, retrieving video footage from the onboard cameras, according to the government’s statement.

Upon questioning by federal investigators, Jacob provided false information about his knowledge of the crash site, and he also lied to a Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector. Prosecutors in the Central District of California revealed that despite being instructed to preserve the crash site and inform the National Transportation Safety Board, Jacob took measures to obstruct the federal investigation.

On December 10, 2021, he utilized a helicopter to remove the wreckage from the Los Padres National Forest, subsequently dismantling and disposing of it piece by piece in an attempt to impede the investigation. Prosecutors argued that Jacob displayed “exceptionally poor judgment” in committing the offense, as detailed in a sentencing memorandum.

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