A 29-year-old YouTuber, Trevor Daniel Jacob, who intentionally crashed his airplane while pretending it was an unavoidable accident, has pleaded guilty to federal charges and faces 20 years in prison, according to an announcement from federal prosecutors on Thursday.
An experienced pilot and skydiver, Jacob agreed to promote a wallet in a YouTube video as part of a sponsorship deal, according to his plea agreement. On November 24, 2021, Jacob filmed himself in his airplane taking off from Lompoc City Airport on a flight destined for Mammoth Lakes. But Jacob never intended to reach his destination. Instead, he planned to film himself ejecting mid-flight while his plane crashed.