In November 2021, YouTuber Jacob (29 years old) had a plane crash in Southern California and got lost in the forest, but luckily found a rescue vehicle at the end of the day.
It turns out it was staged. In the video, Jacob is piloting a small plane, apparently encountering problems and crashing into the Los Padres forest.
The entire scene of the plane malfunction and Jacob parachuting out is captured by him using a selfie stick. The camera is also installed all over the plane, recording many dramatic angles.
Jacob also recorded and updated continuously about wandering in the forest and finding drinking water. The video ends with Jacob drinking water at a stream and luckily finding his way back home.
The story was turned into a video called "I Crashed My Plane" on YouTube, attracting nearly 3 million views.
Following the incident, an investigation was conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). As part of the investigation, Jacob was asked to retrieve the wreckage of the plane a few weeks later.
In April 2022, Jacob had his pilot license revoked by the FAA after it was revealed that he and a friend had used a helicopter to retrieve the wreckage of a plane crash, and also recovered camera data. Initially, Jacob claimed that he did not know where the plane crashed, but it was later revealed that he was lying.
In addition, Jacob admitted to lying to investigators and staging the video to make money. Under the plea agreement, Jacob made the video to "get views" and earn advertising money from a wallet-selling company.
According to a statement released by the US Department of Justice, Jacob has been charged with destruction, concealment, and obstruction of a federal investigation.
He admitted to lying to investigators in his report on the plane crash, falsely claiming that the plane lost control only 35 minutes after takeoff. The charge has a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and Jacob agreed to plead guilty. US officials confirmed this on May 11.
Jacob is expected to formally plead guilty in Los Angeles in a few weeks. The sentencing decision will be made afterward, according to AFP.
In fact, many people noticed something unusual when the video was posted. Pilots and aviation experts said that Jacob didn't even take basic steps to restart the engine when it showed signs of malfunctioning.
Some questioned why Jacob didn't land the plane gently on a nearby field. More importantly, the staged elements were easy to spot when the YouTuber was wearing a parachute. It is known that wearing a parachute while flying a small plane is "very unusual."
