YouTuber admits to crashing plane for views and likes
Trevor Jacob could now face up to 20 years behind bars after his guilty plea.
A popular YouTuber has admitted to crashing his plane on purpose for likes and views on his channel.
In a video uploaded to his channel in December 2021 tilted 'I Crashed My Airplane' - which has close to three million views - former Olympic snowboarder Trevor Jacob filmed his escape from a stalled plane.
Obviously, in such a crisis moment, the last thing you would probably be doing is filming it - which led to some growing suspicious of Jacob.
As Jacob got stressed and multiple swear words were heard, the YouTuber jumped from from the plane using a parachute before appearing to show the aircraft crashing.
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Following his escape, the video showed Noah spending hours walking through the mountains in the hope he would find civilisation.
Jacob explained during the video how he got into the situation, he said: "On November 24th, 2021, I took off to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to spread my best friend Johnny Strange’s ashes.
"I planned to document the entire trip and make a video sharing the adventure.
"During the flight I experienced an engine failure over some mountains. There was no safe space to land."
While it appeared Jacob did follow protocol with the crash, many questioned whether the whole thing was staged.
Many cited the fact there was no attempt by Jacob to safely land the aircraft, leading many to become suspicious.
Now, as part of a plea agreement, Jacob has admitted he crashed the plane intentionally as part of a product sponsorship deal.
Immediately after the crash, Jacob reported it to the National Transportation Safety Board, who said he was responsible for preserving the wreckage.
According to the plea, Jacob once claimed he did not the location of the crash site, despite later returning there by helicopter to remove the debris.
In a statement released by the US justice department on Thursday (11 May), the skydiver has agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation.
As a result, he could face a staggering 20 years in prison.
The US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California said: "[He] did not intend to reach his destination, but instead planned to eject from his aircraft during the flight and video himself parachuting to the ground and his airplane as it descended and crashed."
Jacob is expected to make his initial court appearance in the coming weeks, though the process could be a rather drawn-out one.
Callum Jones