A YouTuber who deliberately staged a plane crash for views and sponsorship has been sentenced to six months in prison for attempting to destroy the evidence.

Trevor Daniel Jacob, 30, posted a video which claimed to show his small plane suffering engine failure, before he parachuted out to ‘escape’ in November 2021. The film, titled "I Crashed My Airplane", was viewed millions of times on YouTube, showing him with a selfie stick in hand as he leaps out of the aircraft.

Cameras mounted on the wing and tail of the plane also recorded his jump. After the plane crash landed in the mountainous Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County, in California, Jacob trekked to the crash site and retrieved the videos from the cameras.

Jacob pleaded guilty in summer to one felony count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation. Federal prosecutors said in court that Jacob "most likely committed this offence to generate social media and news coverage for himself and to obtain financial gain".

The plea agreement says Jacob was promoting a product - a wallet company - when staging the crash. The US District Attorney’s Office said he "did not intend to reach his destination, but instead planned to eject from his aircraft during the flight and video himself parachuting to the ground and his aeroplane as it descended and crashed".

Jacob took off on the solo flight from Santa Barbara, California, in November 2021. It was only 35 minutes after takeoff that the plane crashed into the Los Padres National Forest. Jacob reported the crash to the National Transportation Safety Board who told him that he was in charge of preserving the wreckage.