Trevor Jacob jailed for crashing plane as publicity stunt

A former Olympian who intentionally crashed his plane and made a YouTube video of himself parachuting to gain internet fame has been sentenced to six months behind bars for lying about the stunt.

Trevor Jacob, 30, of Lompoc, California, an experienced pilot and skydiver, pleaded guilty in June to destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation.

Jacob, who competed as a snowboarder in the 2014 Sochi Games, was sentenced Monday by US District Judge John Walker to six months in a federal lockup, officials said.

The thrill-seeker, who “had secured a sponsorship from a company that sold various products, including a wallet,” agreed to promote the company’s wallet in the YouTube video, according to a news release by the US Attorney’s Office Central District of California.

On Nov. 24. 2021, he took off from Lompoc City Airport on a flight purportedly bound for Mammoth Lakes – but he actually planned to eject and video himself parachuting as his plane crashed.

Jacob has mounted multiple cameras on the single-engine Taylorcraft BL-65 and equipped himself with a chute, video camera and selfie stick.

About 35 minutes after taking off, while flying above the Los Padres National Forest near Santa Maria, he leaped from the airplane.

Two days after the brazen flight, Jacob informed the National Transportation Safety Board about the crash. The agency told him that he was responsible for preserving the wreckage for the investigation.

“Jacob agreed to determine the crash location and provide both the coordinates of the downed plane and videos of the crash to NTSB investigators,” the US Attorney’s Office said.

But the aerial huckster lied to investigators that he did not know the wreckage’s location.

“In fact, on December 10, 2021, Jacob and a friend flew by helicopter to the wreckage site. There, Jacob used straps to secure the wreckage, which the helicopter lifted and carried to Rancho Sisquoc in Santa Barbara County, where it was loaded onto a trailer attached to Jacob’s pickup truck,” officials said.

“Jacob drove the wreckage to Lompoc City Airport and unloaded it in a hangar. He then cut up and destroyed the airplane wreckage and, over the course of a few days, deposited the detached parts of the wrecked airplane into trash bins at the airport and elsewhere, which was done with the intent to obstruct federal authorities,” the statement added.

He later uploaded a YouTube video titled “I Crashed My Airplane” that contained a promotion of the wallet and depicted him parachuting from the aircraft and the subsequent crash.  

Jacob lied to authorities when he submitted an aircraft accident incident report that falsely indicated that the plane experienced a full loss of power, officials said.

He also lied to a safety inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration when he said the engine had quit and, because he could not identify any safe landing spots, he had jumped out.

In the video, the high-flying faker said: “Thank you, God. Thank you, universe. Thank you, higher power, for watching over me,” adding that “it’s so hot out here – I need water so bad.”

Prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum that “it appears that [Jacob] exercised exceptionally poor judgment in committing this offense.

“[Jacob] most likely committed this offense to generate social media and news coverage for himself and to obtain financial gain. Nevertheless, this type of ‘daredevil’ conduct cannot be tolerated,” they added.

The FAA stripped the pilot of his license in April 2022.

Assistant US Attorney Dominique Caamano, who prosecuted the case, said Jacob’s stunt risked causing much more damage.

“This is a unique circumstance in that someone crashed an airplane for views, but the idea of doing stunts for views or for branded content is certainly not unique,” Caamano told NBC News.

“And so the message here is: If you’re going to do something against the law, there’s going to be a consequence,” she added.

Jacob said in a statement that “this experience has been so humbling,” according to NBC News.

“I’ve learned more about myself than in my entire prior life combined,” he said. “I have learned from my mistakes, and look forward to being a contributing member of society, and a mentor for youth. … I am excited to continue my positive growth as a person through my six-month term in prison.”