Influencer accepts he lied when light plane crashed: he put cameras on the wings, tail and jumped with the selfie stick, now he faces up to 20 years in prison

Getting likes on social networks is the north, sometimes excessive, of some people. A video from an influencer in the United States, depicting a plane crash, reached the senior judicial authorities in that country.

Trevor Daniel Jacob, 29, released a video on YouTube on December 24, 2021 titled “I crashed my plane,” El Nuevo Día recalled.

“He did it for visits, for likes,” the media in several countries replied. Jacob filmed him taking off from an airport and the moment when, supposedly, the plane’s engine stopped as it flew over the Los Padres National Forest, the medium mentioned above described.

The flight, they point out, had been recorded a month before the material was distributed.

When 17 months had passed since the event became known, the above-mentioned media reported on May 12, 2023 about the progress of the investigation process.

Jacob “will plead guilty to obstructing an investigation by destroying the wreckage of the ultralight aircraft,” the US Justice Department said.

Univisión said that “the youtuber deliberately crashed the plane for a video and now faces up to 20 years in prison.”

What do they say about the influencer?

Before taking off, “Jacob installed several cameras, both on the left wing and on the left tailgate and in the cockpit.”

The man, from California, United States, “captured the moment of the alleged motorcycle incident and when he was thrown from the plane.”

It describes how Jacob, wearing a parachute, “used a camera on a selfie stick to record his descent and capture the moment the plane hit the side of a mountain.”

It was the most intense experience of my life. I didn’t think I would survive. I promised myself I would always do that route with a parachute as a friend lost his life doing the same route and thank goodness

Trevor Jacob as he spoke at the start of the event

Being safe, “the man reached the crash site and recovered the footage from the cameras. He also documented his journey until he was rescued by several people who found him.

The aforementioned American chain pointed out: “After landing, he walked to the scene of the accident and found the video from the on-board cameras.”

Some users appreciated in comments that what happened was a “trick”.

They didn’t overlook the detail that Jacob “already had his parachute on, that he didn’t try to take the plane to a safe landing area and took his camera and selfie stick with him when he exited the plane.”

An investigation was opened into the video, and the Justice Department “said Jacob later informed federal investigators of the accident and agreed to determine its location, but then lied that he did not know the location.”

Jacob made that video as part of a sponsorship to promote a product

Plea deal, quoted in the media

Falsehoods by the influencer

The press described, citing the agreement, that on December 10, 2021, “Jacob and a friend flew to the site in a helicopter used to lift the wreckage and take it to a trailer attached to their truck.” and the parts had been thrown away in garbage cans.”

In light of several questions put to the influencer, it is assured that he said that “the plane completely lost power about half an hour after takeoff”. That point is also incorrect.

Univisión revealed that Jacob “lied to the Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector when he said the plane’s engine had failed and since he couldn’t identify a safe landing option, he had parachuted out of the plane.”