YouTuber admits to staging plane crash and parachuting out for views, officials say

Extreme sports YouTuber Trevor Daniel Jacob admits to crashing his plane on purpose for video views, ITV News reporter Andrew Misra has the latest

A 29-year-old YouTuber has admitted to plunging his airplane into mountains in California and later destroying the wreckage in a bid for video views.

Trevor Daniel Jacob will plead guilty to a federal charge after he purposefully crashed the plane in November 2021 "to gain online views," officials have announced.

The US Justice Department said on Thursday that a plea agreement was filed in a Los Angeles District Court after Mr Jacob, an experienced pilot and skydiver, agreed to plead guilty to charges punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The video titled “I Crashed My Airplane” appeared in December 2021 and purported to show Mr Jacob's small plane have engine failure over the mountainous Los Padres National Forest.

Already wearing a parachute, he jumped out with a selfie stick camera in hand.

His jump and the aircraft's plunge were recorded by cameras mounted on the plane's wing and tail and by the camera he carried. The video has since garnered three million views.

After landing, Jacob hiked to the crash site and recovered video from the onboard cameras, the government said.

According to the plea agreement, Mr Jacob had a sponsorship deal to promote a company's product in a video he would post, and he never intended to complete the flight.

In December of 2021, he and a friend flew to the site in a helicopter that was used to lift the wreckage and fly it to a trailer attached to his pickup truck, according to the agreement.

The plane was later cut up, and the parts were disposed of in trash bins.

Mr Jacob's pilot license was revoked by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2022.

The US attorney's office said in a statement that he is expected to make a court appearance in coming weeks.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.