Co-Pilot Dies After Exiting Plane Mid-Flight During Emergency Landing At Raleigh-Durham

A 23-year-old man jumped or fell from a plane Friday as it made an emergency landing near the Raleigh-Durham airport in North Carolina. 

A twin-engine CASA CN-212 Aviocar landed in the grass near the airport at about 2:40 p.m. The plane experienced issues with its landing gear that caused it to skid off the runway. 

A pilot and co-pilot were on board when the plane took off, but only the pilot remained on the plane. 

The co-pilot’s body was located in the backyard of a Fuquay-Varina home later that evening. The victim was identified as Charles Hew Crooks from Raleigh, according to WRAL. The homeowner alerted authorities searching the area that they had heard a noise in the backyard. 

Authorities are unsure whether Crooks fell or jumped from the aircraft. He was not wearing a parachute when his body was discovered. 

The incident is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Safety Board.

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