American YouTuber Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison for Purposefully Crashing Plane to Boost Views

A YouTuber in the US has been sentenced to six months in jail after deliberately crashing his plane to increase views on his channel and then lying about it to investigators. Trevor Jacob, a former Olympic snowboarder, filmed the event titled “I crashed my airplane” in November 2021. The video, which went viral on YouTube, shows Jacob experiencing engine trouble and ejecting from the plane before parachuting into Los Padres National Forest. Cameras on the aircraft captured its descent and eventual crash landing. Jacob recovered the footage but claimed he didn’t know where the plane had crashed. However, it was later revealed that he had used a helicopter to transport the wreckage to Santa Barbara County and then disposed of it in trash bins to hide evidence. The Federal Aviation Administration revoked Jacob’s pilot’s license in April 2022. In exchange for a plea deal, Jacob pleaded guilty to destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation. Federal prosecutors stated that his actions were likely motivated by a desire for social media attention and financial gain. The original video and subsequent posts by Jacob have been removed from YouTube. Pilots and aviation experts have heavily criticized Jacob for his reckless behavior and failure to take basic steps to restart the plane’s engine or safely land the aircraft.