A YouTuber who deliberately sent his plane crashing to the ground to get a boost in views could be jailed for 20 years, US authorities said on Thursday. The Guardian reported that Trevor Jacob has agreed to plead guilty to one count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation. The crime carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The video in which he staged a plane crash has been seen three million times.
The aviation authorities also noted that Mr Jacob made no attempt to contact air traffic control on the emergency frequency, did not attempt restarting the engine, and did not look for a place to land even though there were multiple areas within gliding range in which he could have made a safe landing. The FAA continued that following the crash, the YouTuber "recovered and then disposed of the wreckage
the plea agreement, the YouTuber, who describes himself as an experienced pilot and skydiver, admitted that he never intended to complete his solo flight from Lompoc airport in southern California to Mammoth Lakes in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Mr Jacob is expected to formally enter his plea in Los Angeles in the coming weeks, and will be sentenced at a later date