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YouTuber Trevor Jacob was sentenced Monday to six months in federal prison for obstructing a federal investigation by destroying the wreckage of an aircraft that he intentionally crashed to gain views online. Jacob pleaded guilty on June 30 to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation and was sentenced on Dec. 4.
Jacob was an experienced pilot, skydiver and former Olympic athlete who took his adrenaline-pumping antics to YouTube. He secured a sponsorship with a company to promote a wallet, showing the product off in each video he posted. On. Nov. 24, 2021 he took off in his TaylorCraft BL-65 from Lompoc City Airport (LPC) on a solo flight, purportedly headed to Mammoth Lakes. Jacob never intended to reach Mammoth Lakes, instead planning a stunt to gain views. Jacob planned to eject from his aircraft midflight, videoing himself parachute to the ground as his plane descended and crashed.RELATED STORIES:Trevor Jacob agrees to plead guilty to felony charge after intentional plane crash stuntFAA revokes Trevor Jacob's license after intentionally crashing plane in YouTube stuntWhat we see in the Trevor Jacob plane crash YouTube video with the FAA investigatingBefore he took off, Jacob mounted his plane with several video cameras 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, he ejected from the plane and began to video himself parachute to the ground. Using the cameras mounted on the plane and his selfie stick, Jacob recorded the plane as it descended and crashed in a dry brush area in the National Forest. He parachuted to the ground and hiked to the wreck site, recovering the footage of the flight and crash for his planned viral video.
On Nov. 26, 2021 Jacob informed the NTSB about the crash and the agency launched an investigation on or about the same day. The NTSB told Jacob he was responsible for preserving the wreckage so the agency could examine it and he agreed to determine the crash site and provide the coordinates of the plane and provide video to the investigators. Three days later, the FAA launched an investigation into the crash.
In the weeks that followed, Jacob lied to investigators, claiming he did not know where the wreckage was located. On Dec. 10, 2021 Jacob and his friend flew in a helicopter to the wreckage site, using straps to secure it and transporting it to Rancho Sisquoc in Santa Barbara County. The wreckage was then loaded onto a trailer attached to Jacob's pickup truck and driven to Lompoc Airport to be unloaded into a hangar. Jacob cut up the wreckage and destroyed the pieces over the course of a few days, depositing the remains of the plane into trash bins at the airport and elsewhere. This willing destruction was done to obstruct federal authorities from investigating the crash.
On Dec. 23 2021 Jacob uploaded a video to his YouTube channel titled, "I Crashed My Airplane." The video contained a promotion for the wallet and showed Jacob parachuting from his plane and the subsequent crash. Jacob then lied to federal investigators when he submitted an aircraft incident report, falsely indicating the aircraft experienced a total loss of power about 35 minutes after takeoff. The Olympic athlete turned YouTuber then lied to an FAA aviation safety inspector, telling them the plane's engine quit and, because he could not identify a safe landing option, he was forced to parachute out of the plane.
The video went viral, with speculation circulating early on. Jacob was sent a letter by the FAA in 2022, ordering him to surrender his pilot license immediately or face a civil penalty of $1,644 per day without returning the license. In this letter, the agency said that Jacob opened the left side pilot door before claiming engine failure and made no attempts to contact ATC on the emergency frequency, nor did he try to restart the engine or look for a safe place to land, despite numerous clear areas within gliding range. The agency also accused Jacob of recovering the cameras and disposing of the wreckage.
In May 2023 Jacob agreed to plead guilty to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and plead guilty to the felony charge in June. With the December sentencing, the Trevor Jacob fake crash saga is over. The FAA takes stunts like these seriously, revoking the licenses for two Red Bull pilots after they attempted a mid-air plane swap without approval from the agency.RELATED STORIES:FAA revokes pilot licenses of performers after failed Red Bull plane swap ends in crashRed Bull Plane Swap pilot apologizes for failed stunt, ignoring FAA
Safety is critical in aviation and stunts and pranks can jeopardize the lives of the pilot, passengers and anyone on the ground. Achieving virality online is fun for many people, but compromising safety to do so is never worth the views. Jacob has faced sentencing for his intentional plane crash and his subsequent coverup, involving felonious crimes like destroying an aircraft and lying to federal investigators. A source from the DOJ told GlobalAir.com that Jacob must report to the U.S. Marshals Service of the Federal bureau of Prisons by Jan. 29, 2024."It appears that [Jacob] exercised exceptionally poor judgment in committing this offense," prosecutors said. "[Jacob] most likely committed this offense to generate social media and news coverage for himself and to obtain financial gain. Nevertheless, this type of ‘daredevil' conduct cannot be tolerated."