Olympic snowboarder, YouTuber and pilot Trevor Jacob will have to spend six months in prison for deliberately crashing a plane, destroy evidence and lie to the authorities. A good deal for him, considering that he was facing 20 years in prison.
Many YouTubers are slaves to fame and likes. They need subscribers and videos with many views to make money. But it’s one thing to do the typical nonsense in front of the camera, and quite another endanger the lives of other people, letting a plane crash without a pilot.
Trevor Jacob claimed that the plane’s engine had failed, so he had to parachute. Ironically, the YouTube video with which he intended to make a lot of money has been the main evidence against him.
The YouTuber who put lives in danger for a few likes
In December 2021, Jacob uploaded a video to the Internet where he was piloting a plane. Something common for him, since he had a pilot’s license.
In the middle of the flight he claims that the engine has begun to fail, and with the parachute already in place, he jumps into the void.. Strangely, because it is a crime, the video is still on YouTube. You can see it here:
Trevor Jacob recorded the jump with his selfie stick, and after landing, he searched for the plane and recovered the footage from the cameras, to make the video.
But the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wasn’t buying it. He was surprised that Trevor Jacob never attempted to contact air traffic control or use emergency channels, to warn that he had suffered an accident. He also had a parachute on, something that is unusual in this type of airplane, which is very stable.
The cameras, strategically placed on the plane to capture the jump, also raise suspicions and the fact that the YouTuber located the place where the plane crashed so quickly.
Questioned by the authorities, he assured that he did not remember the exact place, but then He went by helicopter to throw parts of the plane into different garbage containers. Pressed, he acknowledged that it had been a montage sponsored by a brand.
The YouTuber faced 20 years in prison, mainly for faking a plane crash that could have killed someone when it crashed. But also for misleading investigators. Finally, he has reached an agreement with the judge and, after showing remorse, agrees to spend six months in prison, and two years of surveillance.
But as we say, the video of the fake plane crash is still there, so somehow this lying youtuber has gotten away with it: The video already has 4.5 million views, and his channel has 143,000 subscribers. Interestingly, in a new video released just yesterday, he reveals that he has regained his pilot’s license…
