Trevor Jacob, a former Olympic athlete and YouTuber, has been sentenced to six months in federal prison for intentionally crashing his plane in a publicity stunt to gain social media attention and financial gain. Jacob, who had secured a sponsorship from a company, wallet company, agreed to promote the company’s products in a YouTube video. He took off in his airplane from Lompoc City Airport on a solo flight purportedly destined for Mammoth Lakes but planned to eject from his aircraft during the flight and video himself parachuting to the ground. He posted a video titled “I Crashed My Airplane” on YouTube, which contained a promotion for a wallet company. Jacob’s actions were deemed as obstructing a federal investigation, and he pleaded guilty to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation. The case has received widespread media coverage, with many outlets reporting on the sentencing and the details of Jacob’s stunt:
The details of the case are as follows:
- Jacob intentionally crashed a Taylorcraft BL 65 plane in Southern California in November 2021 in an attempt to gain social media attention and financial gain.
- He reported the crash to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) but failed to preserve the wreckage as required, instead moving parts of the plane to a hangar and destroying them.
- Jacob then created a YouTube video titled “I Crashed My Airplane,” which contained a promotion for a wallet company, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to launch a deeper investigation.
- He pleaded guilty to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation.
- Jacob’s actions were deemed as obstructing a federal investigation, and he was sentenced to six months in prison.