Trevor Jacob is going to prison after deliberately crashing his plane in a YouTube stunt. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Trevor Jacob, an Olympic snowboarder from Lompoc, California, was sentenced to six months in federal prison for intentionally crashing a plane for views on YouTube.
In December of 2021, Jacob posted a video called “I Crashed My Airplane.” It was 13 minutes long and, as of this writing, has racked up over four-million views. At the time, Jacob’s YouTube channel had 143,000 subscribers. It was strange, though, that when he crashed the plane he had several cameras mounted all over the place. After taking off from Lompoc City Airport in a Taylorcraft BL-65 and flying for 35 minutes, he ejected, deployed a parachute, and the plane hit the ground.
“Approximately 35 minutes after taking off, while flying above the Los Padres National Forest near Santa Maria, Jacob ejected from the airplane and videoed himself parachuting to the ground,” the United States Attorney’s Office wrote. “Using the video camera mounted on the selfie stick and the video cameras he mounted on the airplane, Jacob was able to record the airplane as it descended and crashed into a dry brush area in Los Padres National Forest. After parachuting to the ground, Jacob hiked to the location of the wreck and recovered the data containing the video recording of his flight and the crash of the airplane.”
In the days and months afterward, Jacob, who competed in snowboard cross during the 2014 Sochi Games, acted a little fishy, to say the least. Prosectors said he lied to investigators and a Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector about the event. Initially, he promised he’d give up the location of the crash along with the footage, but then said he didn’t know where, exactly, the wreckage was. As it turned out, however, he eventually moved the pieces of plane, cut them up, and essentially tried to hide the evidence.
In the aircraft accident incident report Jacob submitted, he also said that he ejected because his plane lost power, which proved to be untrue. Jacob also told an FAA aviation safety inspector that he had to ditch because the plane’s engine quit and there wasn’t a safe landing spot. Over the course of the investigation of the crash, it became clear that Jacob was lying.
“It appears that [Jacob] exercised exceptionally poor judgment in committing this offense,” prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum cited by the Justice Department. “Jacob most likely committed this offense to generate social media and news coverage for himself and to obtain financial gain. Nevertheless, this type of ‘daredevil’ conduct cannot be tolerated.”
Jacob eventually owned up to his bad decision and on June 30, he pleaded guilty to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation. The plea agreement states that Jacob’s plan was to use the views the video garnered to secure a sponsorship deal. The U.S. attorney’s office for Central California said that, “Jacob intended to make money through the video.”
Now, Jacob’s pilot license has been revoked and he’s looking at six months in prison — a relatively light sentence, considering the circumstances — and Jacob is taking his lumps.
“I’ve learned more about myself than in my entire prior life combined,” he said through his attorney. “I have learned from my mistakes, and look forward to being a contributing member of society, and a mentor for youth. … I am excited to continue my positive growth as a person through my six month term in prison.”
