AN Olympian who became an influencer has been accused of crashing his plane on purpose for likes after being filmed leaping from the aircraft.

       Trevor Jacob survived the horror crash thanks to a parachute he packed before take-off.

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       Trevor Jacob's plane stalled mid- air, forcing him to abandon the aircraft 4

       The ex-Olympian has been accused of crashing on purpose to get publicity Credit: Trevor Jacob/YouTube

       The YouTube star and former US Olympian filmed the whole ordeal on a set of Go-Pros attached to the plane and himself and posted it in a video called "I Crashed My Plane" on Christmas eve.

       In it, the former elite snowboarder can be seen jumping out of the light aircraft moments before it crashes into a ravine on the foothills of Los Padres Nation Forest in California.

       Jacob blamed the crash on an "engine failure" but aviation enthusiasts who examined the almost 13-minute clip claims the influencer may have crashed it on purpose.

       The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched a joint investigation into the crash and will report their findings in the next 6 to 12 months, according to the Independent.

       In the clip, which has been viewed more than 1.4 million times, Jacob's Taylorcraft BL6 aircraft appears to lose power and stalls mid-air.

       "During the flight, I experienced an engine failure over some mountains," Jacob says in the video.

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       "There was no safe space to land."

       With his parachute already on, Jacob throws himself out the pilot's door as the plane veers off and crashes into a ravine.

       "This is why I always fly with a parachute" Jacob says before trekking to wreckage site and hiked in darkness until he found a farmer who he credits for saving him.

       When the clip was posted on December 24, users began commenting on why Jacob would use a plane that appeared in such bad shape.

       At one point in the clip, duct tape could be seen on the plane's dashboard and brown water stains on its exterior.

       Jacob has since disabled the comments section, prompting plane enthusiasts to produce their own reaction and explainer videos.

       One person found other clips in which Jacob wasn't wearing a parachute to prove the adrenaline-junkie doesn't always wear the important piece of safety kit when flying.

       Others pointed out that small aircraft pilots don't wear parachutes because of space constraints.

       The Santa Barbara Independent reported that city officials at Lompoc City airport expressed concern about the state of the plane and said it needed maintenance.

       And airport sources said the former elite athlete told officials about the crash a few days after it happened and later hired a helicopter to go to the crash site to clean up the wreckage.

       Jacob said he was flying from Lompoc City airport in Santa Barbara to Mammoth Lakes to spread the ashes of close friend Johnny Strange, who died last year in a base jumping accident in Switzerland.

       The Sun Online has contacted Jacob for comment.

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       Aviation authorities have launched a joint investigation into the crash Credit: Trevor Jacob/YouTube 4

       The aircraft crashed into the foothills of Los Padres National Park in California