A YouTuber who deliberately crashed an airplane for the purpose of gaining views on his channel is set to plead guilty to obstructing a federal investigation by tampering with the crash site, according to US prosecutors.

Trevor Jacob, aged 29, uploaded a video of the plane crash to YouTube in December 2021, suggesting it was an accidental incident. The video has garnered over 2.9 million views so far.

As part of a plea agreement, Jacob admitted that he filmed the video as part of a sponsorship deal. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

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The US Justice Department confirmed that Jacob, a pilot and skydiver, has agreed to plead guilty to a felony count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation.

In November 2021, Jacob embarked on a solo flight from a Santa Barbara airport in California, equipped with cameras mounted on his plane.

Alongside the cameras, he carried a parachute and a selfie stick.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California stated that Jacob had no intention of reaching his intended destination. Instead, he planned to eject himself from the aircraft mid-flight, capturing footage of himself parachuting to the ground and the subsequent crash of the plane.

Approximately 35 minutes after takeoff, the plane crashed into the Los Padres National Forest. Jacob made his way to the crash site, recovered the recorded footage, and reported the incident to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), who informed him of his responsibility to preserve the wreckage.

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However, according to the plea agreement, Jacob later claimed to be unaware of the location of the crash site.

In actuality, he knew the precise location and returned to the site via helicopter to secure and remove the wreckage, which he subsequently destroyed.

Jacob’s initial court appearance is expected to take place in the coming weeks, and his pilot’s license was revoked last year.