US prosecutors have stated that a YouTuber who intentionally crashed an airplane for views will plead guilty to obstructing a federal investigation by tampering with the crash site.

Trevor Jacob, aged 29, uploaded a video of the plane crash on YouTube in December 2021, falsely implying it was an accident.

The video has garnered over 2.9 million views to date. According to a plea agreement, Jacob admitted to filming the video as part of a product sponsorship agreement. He could potentially face a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.

The US Department of Justice announced on Thursday that the pilot and skydiver, aged 29, has agreed to plead guilty to one felony charge of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation.

In November 2021, Jacob took off on a solo flight from a Santa Barbara, California airport, equipped with cameras mounted on his plane, a parachute, and a selfie stick

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 airplane as it descended and crashed", the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California said.

caption,Mr Jacob ejecting from the plane before the crash

The plane crashed into the Los Padres National Forest 35 minutes after takeoff. He hiked to the site and recovered the footage.

Some YouTube viewers were sceptical of the crash, noting that Mr Jacob was already wearing a parachute and made no attempt to land the plane safely.

He reported the crash to the National Transportation Safety Board, who said he was responsible for preserving the wreckage. According to the plea agreement, Mr Jacob later claimed he did not know the location of the site.

He did, and returned by helicopter and secured and removed the wreckage, which he later destroyed, the statement says.

Mr Jacob is expected to make his initial court appearance in the coming weeks.

His pilot's licence was revoked last year.