YouTuber Sentenced To 6 Months In Prison After Staging Plane Crash

• US Youtuber Trevor Daniel Jacob crashed a small aircraft in a forest in California after experiencing engine trouble
• Trevor filmed his flight, his ejection, and the plane's crash and wreckage using several cameras and uploaded the video on YouTube
• The 30-year-old has now been thrown in jail for clearing the plane's crash site and thwarting investigators' attempts to figure out what happened

A US YouTuber, Trevor Daniel Jacob, who crashed an aircraft and recorded a video of the plane going down, has been sentenced to six months behind bars.

Trevor Daniel's pleas deal

According to a story by The Guardian, the 30-year-old crashed the plane in Los Padres National Forest in 2021.

US authorities say two weeks after the staged crash, Trevor cleared the crash site of the wreckage.

He has now been jailed for obstructing the investigation by destroying the wreckage after pleading guilty to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation.

Two years ago I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane and let it crash into the ground, took some bad advice, and decided to remove the wreckage. Today I was sentenced to 6 months in Federal Prison. Thank you to my unconditional loving family and friends.

This situation could have been a lot worse, and I am extremely grateful I am here to talk about it. I look forward to teaching our youth from my mistake, and the lessons I have learned from this, it has changed me as a person forever, and therefore, I am so excited for this next chapter of implementing those changes into society for the better," Trevor wrote on his Instagram.

How did the plane crash?

Based on the content creator's infamous video titled ' I Crashed My Airplane', Trevor took off in his small 1940 Taylorcraft plane on a solo flight towards Mammoth Lake in California.

The plane had several cameras that recorded the YouTuber's every move. He also had a video camera, a selfie stick and a parachute.

Halfway through his flight, Trevor claimed to be facing engine trouble.

He jumped out of the plane wearing a parachute, with his selfie stick and filmed himself as he descended.

His descent and the plane's crash were recorded by cameras aboard the aircraft, which he retrieved when he landed on the ground.

He located the plane's wreckage, retrieved his cameras, filmed the aftermath of the crash and then posted it on YouTube.

While this may have been a coincidence, the California US Attorney's office insisted that Trevor had not intended to get to his destination and planned to crash, evidenced by his preparation, flight recording, and subsequent uploading of the video online.

Moreover, the orchestrated accident was determined to have been part of a sponsored advertisement to promote a wallet.

Further, an investigation into the accident revealed that the YouTuber did not attempt to start the engine he claimed was faulty.

The content creator reported the incident to the authorities two days later.

He was told to preserve the wreckage and lied about not knowing its location, only to fly out shortly after and retrieve the wreckage before destroying it and placing some parts of it in different areas to mislead detectives.

Nakuru boy crashes tycoon's plane

Elsewhere, in March, A 17-year-old Nakuru boy was arrested after trespassing into a tycoon's home and boarding an aircraft to fly it.

A report filed with detectives indicates the youngster, on Friday, March 24, made his way to the farm in Balolow, Gilgil, where the agricultural aircraft had been parked and boarded.

He ignited the engine, ready to get airborne, but all was in vain as he dashed into the electric fence in front of him, damaging the plane.

"It was reported by the owner of a spray aircraft registration number 5Y-AZA make PA25, and a resident of Balolow area within Ndume area of Gilgil around 9:30 am, a stranger walked into the ranch and boarded the cabin of the plane parked at the yard," a police report read.