Famous YouTuber deliberately crashes plane, sentenced to prison

Trevor Jacob, a 30-year-old American YouTuber and snowboarder who represented the United States at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, received a six-month prison sentence on Monday. He was charged with staging a crash and attempting to obstruct the subsequent investigation.

Jacob's defense team requested a suspended sentence, arguing that the man's poor decisions resulted from isolation during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to the judge, reported by CNN, the accused expressed deep regret for his actions and said he had already experienced the repercussions of his deed.

"Even though I carefully examined the plane's flight path to ensure the crash would pose no risk to residential buildings or tourist trails, I should have never decided to carry this out," wrote Jacob. He added that the FAA had reinstated his pilot's license.

In November 2021, Jacob embarked on a solo flight over the forests of Los Padres. Around half an hour post takeoff, the plane plummeted to the ground. Jacob successfully evacuated, documenting his parachute jump. A month later, he posted a video titled "I crashed my plane" on his YouTube channel, sparking suspicion among viewers regarding the authenticity of the emergency landing.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) initiated an inquiry into the crash. Jacob was directed to secure the wreckage. He initially claimed ignorance about the location of his fallen aircraft. Eventually, however, he confessed to obstructing a federal investigation, disposing of the wreckage, and recording the video. His motivation was to increase his popularity, secure sponsorship deals, and earn revenue from YouTube advertisements.