Intentional Aircraft Crasher Pleads Guilty

The California man who intentionally crashed his airplane to garner internet attention has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge of obstructing a federal investigation. Trevor Daniel Jacob, 29, of Lompoc, California, is scheduled to make his first appearance in U.S. District Court on June 13 in Los Angeles.

On Nov. 24, 2021, Jacob—an experienced pilot and skydiver—took off from Lompoc City Airport (KLPC) in his 1940s-vintage Taylorcraft BL-65 on a solo flight purportedly to Mammoth Lakes, California. Instead, according to federal investigators, he deliberately ejected from the aircraft en route to film himself and its crash as he descended by parachute. Before taking off, Jacob mounted several cameras on various parts of the aircraft. After he touched down, Jacob hiked to the wreckage and retrieved his video data, which he would later use to make an advertiser-sponsored video posted on YouTube.

Two days later, Jacob informed the National Transportation Safety Board of the crash, and he was told that he was responsible for preserving the wreckage, which would need to be examined by investigators. Jacob delayed the investigation for weeks by falsely claiming he did not know the location of the wreckage. In the meantime, he had a helicopter company retrieve the airplane, which he then transported to his hangar at KLPC where he dismantled it and disposed of its parts.

Jacob also admitted to lying to investigators when he reported that the Taylorcraft suffered a complete loss of power soon after takeoff, and that he could not identify any safe landing options, causing him to have to eject. His pilot license was revoked by the Federal Aviation Administration last year and he faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.