Share
LOS ANGELES — An influencer who staged a plane crash in California to make a YouTube video of himself parachuting to safety was sentenced Monday to six months in federal prison for obstructing the investigation by destroying the wreckage, the U.S. Justice Department.
Trevor Daniel Jacob, 30, an experienced pilot and skydiver, pleaded guilty in June to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation.
The video titled “I Crashed My Airplane” appeared in December 2021 and purported to show Jacob’s small plane have engine failure over the mountainous Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County. Already wearing a parachute, he jumped out with a selfie stick camera in hand.
His jump and the aircraft’s plunge were recorded by cameras mounted on the plane’s wing and tail and by the camera he carried. After landing, he hiked to the crash site and recovered video from the onboard cameras, the government said.
According to the plea agreement, Jacob had a sponsorship deal to promote a company’s product in a video he would post, and he never intended to complete the Nov. 24, 2021, flight.
The Justice Department said Jacob later informed federal investigators about the crash, was told he was responsible for preserving the wreckage, agreed to determine its location — and then lied that he did not know the location.
On Dec. 10, 2021, Jacob and a friend flew to the site in a helicopter that was used to lift the wreckage and fly it to a trailer attached to his pickup truck, according to the agreement. The plane was later cut up, and the parts were disposed of in trash bins.
Jacob, of Lompoc, had his pilot license revoked by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2022.
RELATED TOPICS:
Trump Says He Will Order Voter ID Requirement for Every Vote
18 hours ago
Greta Thunberg Joins Flotilla Heading for Gaza With Aid
18 hours ago
Chicago Mayor Says Police Will Not Aid Federal Troops or Agents
18 hours ago
Post-War Gaza Plan Sees Relocation of Population, ‘Digital Token’ for Palestinian Land: Washington Post
18 hours ago
Labor Day Quiz: Do You Know What a Knocker-Upper Is?
19 hours ago
Judge Blocks Pillar of Trump’s Mass Deportation Campaign
2 days ago
Visalia Driver Arrested for DUI After Multiple Crashes and Pedestrian Injured
2 days ago
Fresno County Garnet Fire Grows to 18,748 Acres in Sierra National Forest
18 hours ago
Categories

Fresno County Garnet Fire Grows to 18,748 Acres in Sierra National Forest

Israel Pounds Gaza City Suburbs, Netanyahu to Convene Security Cabinet

Trump Says He Will Order Voter ID Requirement for Every Vote

Greta Thunberg Joins Flotilla Heading for Gaza With Aid

Chicago Mayor Says Police Will Not Aid Federal Troops or Agents

Post-War Gaza Plan Sees Relocation of Population, ‘Digital Token’ for Palestinian Land: Washington Post
