The YouTuber pilot who deliberately crashed a plane and wrecked it has been sentenced to six months in federal prison.
Trevor Daniel Jacob, 30, pleaded guilty June 30 to one count of destruction and concealment with intent to obstruct a federal investigation after he jumped from the plane and crashed it into a California hill.
Jacob, who is also a former Olympic snowboarder, crashed the small plane on November 24, 2021, after taking off on a solo flight at Lompoc City Airport.
He included it in an edited 13-minute video that racked up more than a million views and has since been removed from his page.
'[Jacob] most likely committed this crime to generate social media and news attention for himself and to obtain financial gain.
“Yet, this type of 'daredevil' behavior cannot be tolerated,” prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum.
Trevor Daniel Jacob deliberately crashed a plane in November 2021 and then destroyed the wreckage. He has now been sentenced to six months in prison for his crimes
The plane, circled in red, is resting in the hills of the Los Padres National Forest
This image, taken by one of the many cameras mounted on the plane, captured the plane just before it was shot nose first into a dry thicket of the forest near Santa Maria.
The release further revealed that Jacob had “received sponsorship from a company that sold several items” that he decided would be featured in the video.
He agreed to specifically promote a wallet made by the company in that YouTube video.
Before takeoff, he placed several cameras and a selfie stick on the plane, and about 35 minutes after takeoff, he threw himself out of the plane.
The video showed him parachuting to the ground just after soaring above the Los Padres National Forest.
Thanks to the many cameras on the plane, the crash was captured from the moment it took off to the moment it descended into the dry undergrowth of the forest near Santa Maria.
After landing on the ground with her parachute, Jacob walked to the crash site and made sure to retrieve the footage from the viral fame video.
Two days after the intended crash, Jacobs gave up and informed the National Transportation Safety Board.
The board then launched an investigation about a day later and told him it was his responsibility to collect and retain the damages for investigative purposes.
Video shows Jacob landing in a thicket and complaining of cuts and scrapes after ejecting himself from the plane and parachuted to the ground
Jacob appeared to struggle with the door as he exited the plane mid-flight
He then agreed to provide the agency with crash site coordinates and video, and three days later the Federal Aviation Administration launched their own investigation.
“In the weeks following the plane crash, Jacob lied to investigators about not knowing the location of the wreckage,” the news release said.
On December 10, Jacob and his friend flew to the crash site by helicopter to assess the damage themselves, the release said.
He then grabbed straps “to secure the wreckage,” which lifted the helicopter and took it to Rancho Sisquoc in Santa Barbara. The evidence from the crash was then loaded onto the back of Jacob's truck and taken to the airport where the plane originally departed.
Two days after the crash, Jacob reported it to the National Transportation Safety Board. He then said he would share any information about the crash with them, but investigators said he lied about details
Trevor Jacob is a former Olympic snowboarder (pictured) who competed in the Men's Snowboard Cross 1/8 Final on day eleven of the 2014 Winter Olympics at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park
“He then cut up and destroyed the plane wreckage” before disposing of the parts in trash bins at the airport and other places.
The press release stated that Jacob did this “with the intent to impede federal authorities' investigation of the November 24 plane crash.”
The official YouTube video of the insidious ad was uploaded to Jacob's page and titled “I Crashed My Airplane.”
“Jacob had no intention of reaching his destination, but instead planned to jump out of his plane mid-flight and film himself parachuting to the ground and his plane as it descended and crashed,” said a press release from the US Attorney's Office.