Key Points
- Trevor Jacob appeared to experience engine trouble while flying over southern California in November 2021.
- His plane crashed, and he posted the video on YouTube.
- In a plea deal, Mr Jacob said he lied about the incident.
YouTuber Trevor Jacob is facing charges for allegedly staging a plane crash over the Los Padres Mountains in California to boost views on his video channel.
Mr Jacob, who describes himself as an experienced pilot and skydiver, will plead guilty to obstructing a federal investigation by cleaning up the site of the crash, US prosecutors say.
He faces up to 20 years in prison.
The video titled ‘I crashed my airplane’ has been seen by nearly three million people and was filmed as part of a sponsorship deal.
Mr Jacob admitted in his plea agreement that he never intended to complete the solo flight from Lompoc airport in southern California.
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 US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California said.
He had boarded the flight wearing a parachute, carrying a selfie stick, and had mounted several cameras on the plane, officials said.
About 35 minutes into the flight, he jumped from the plane and continued to film himself hiking through bushland.
In the video he comes across a vehicle and apparent salvation as night falls.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched an investigation into the crash weeks later, and Mr Jacob was ordered to preserve the wreckage.
However, two weeks later he winched the wreckage out of the forest with a helicopter, having earlier recovered data from the onboard cameras, according to a plea deal.
"Jacob further admitted he lied to federal investigators when he submitted an aircraft accident incident report that falsely indicated that the aircraft experienced a full loss of power approximately 35 minutes after takeoff," a statement from the Department of Justice said.
"Jacob also lied to an FAA aviation safety inspector when he said the airplane's engine had quit and, because he could not identify any safe landing options, he had parachuted out of the plane."
He has agreed to plead guilty to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Mr Jacob is expected to formally enter his plea in Los Angeles in coming weeks, and be sentenced at a later date.
On 11 April the FAA concluded its investigation into the incident and determined that Jacob had crashed the plane as a stunt.
“On November 24, 2021, you demonstrated a lack of care, judgment, and responsibility by choosing to jump out of an aircraft solely so you could record the footage of the crash,” it said in a statement.
The FAA also said that Jacob did not make any attempts to search for safe areas to land, even though “there were multiple within gliding range”.
