The Justice Department stated today that a YouTuber pilot has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge of impeding a federal investigation by purposefully destroying the airplane wreckage of an aircraft he purposely crashed in Santa Barbara County to increase online views.

Trevor Daniel Jacob, 29, of Lompoc, agreed to enter a guilty plea to one count of concealment and destruction with the intent to hinder a federal investigation, which carries a potential term of 20 years in federal prison.

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On November 24, 2021, Jacob flew solo in his aircraft from Lompoc City Airport, reportedly to Mammoth Lakes. According to Jacob’s plea agreement, he stated that his goal was not to arrive at his destination but rather to jump out of the plane while it was in flight and record both his descent to the ground and the crash of his plane.

The NTSB and the FAA began an investigation into the crash in the weeks that followed, and Jacob was instructed to preserve the wreckage. Jacob also acknowledged lying to federal authorities when he submitted an event report for an aircraft accident that falsely claimed the aircraft lost power completely 35 minutes after takeoff. Federal prosecutors claim that Jacob “lied to an FAA aviation safety inspector when he claimed that the plane’s engine had failed and that he had parachuted out of the aircraft because he could not locate any safe landing options.”

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Jacob unloaded the wreckage in a hangar at Lompoc City Airport after driving it there. In order to prevent federal investigators from looking into the plane crash on November 24, he cut up and destroyed the wreckage of the aircraft and, over the course of a few days, dumped the detached parts of the wrecked aircraft into trash cans at the airport and other locations. He admitted this in his plea agreement.

Jacob published a YouTube video titled “I Crashed My Aeroplane” on December 23, 2021, promoting the wallet and showing him parachuting from the plane before it crashes. The fact that Jacob planned to profit from the video was acknowledged in his plea agreement.

In April 2022, the FAA suspended Jacob’s pilot’s license. The Office of Inspector General at the United States Department of Transportation looked into this situation. Substantial assistance was given by the FAA and NTSB.

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