A YouTuber who recorded himself exiting his airplane as it was about to crash confessed in court that he caused the incident intentionally for likes and views.
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Former Olympic snowboarder Trevor Jacob published the video titled ‘I Crashed My Airplane’ on his YouTube channel in December 2021, depicting him leaving the stalled aircraft before it crashed. Some speculated that he would be more concerned with leaving the plane than with filming it, yet he continued to video his journey across the mountains following the disaster. In a subsequent video, Jacob revealed that he went to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to scatter his closest friend’s ashes and wanted to capture the trip, but his engine failed while flying over the mountains. After the plane crashed, Jacob reported it to the National Transportation Safety Board, who found him to be at fault.
According to UNILAD, Jacob confessed to intentionally crashing the plane as part of a plea agreement and said he orchestrated the incident as part of a product sponsorship deal. The plea said he once claimed he didn’t know the location of the crash site but returned a few hours later via helicopter to remove the debris. The U.S. Justice Department said in a statement Thursday that he has agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation.
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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,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said. He could face 20 years in prison for the stunt.
YouTuber pilot Trevor Jacob who bailed out midair and deliberately sent his plane crashing into the ground to bolster viewing numbers on his channel could be jailed for up to 20 years, US authorities have said. pic.twitter.com/ojWzX2NNym
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) May 12, 2023
Twitter users also reacted to his plea agreement and said his actions could’ve serious caused harm towards other individuals. One user wrote, “As a pilot I can vouch that a true aviator will never abandon his plane this way and watch it crash, that too for a few bucks worth of popularity.. Abhorrable.”
Another said: “I remember a YouTube pilot came out with a video, right after this incident, calling him out because he suspected it was 100% intentional. Can’t remember the youtube pilot but he flies the single engine, single passenger, short take off bush plane.”
I can’t believe we’re at a point in human civilisation where we can justify crashing a plane just so a few folk click “like” on a video. What a time to be alive!!!
— Matt Waller (@Matt_W1985) May 12, 2023
What a narcissist and a beautiful little aeroplane wasted. Now crews have to get to the site and remediate the area because of avgas and oil soaked into the ground. Aircraft could have been donated somewhere to teach kids to fly. But hey, it’s all about me.
— Daniel Stuart Taylor (@DanielSGTaylor) May 12, 2023
i mean yeah crashing a plane on purpose is without a doubt an act of terrorism. recording yourself committing a felony for views though? you have to respect his commitment to the bit https://t.co/hqi6mevHro
— 🦧🧠🫙 (@climatemao) May 12, 2023
Always fascinating when people who live their lives as though everything is ironic and consequence-free put themselves into a clash with a part of the world that very much believes in consequences. https://t.co/tGYnXNHenS
— Joxley (@Mr_John_Oxley) May 12, 2023
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