A co-pilot who jumped to his death from a small plane in North Carolina was angered by damage to the plane’s landing gear during a failed runaway approach, according to a preliminary report released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The plane’s pilot-in-command told federal investigators his co-pilot, Charles Hew Crooks, 23, “became visibly upset by the hard landing” in the minutes after they were diverted to another airport for an emergency landing in the report.
The co-pilot, who was in control during the botched attempt to land, opened his side cockpit window at 3,500 feet and “may have fallen ill,” the report said.
He then lowered the ramp in the rear of the plane, suggesting he felt he was getting sick and needed air.
The report states that Crooks “got out of his seat, removed his headset, apologized and exited the plane through the rear ramp door.”
The incident happened on July 29 about 30 miles south of Raleigh-Durham International Airport. At the time, Crooks did not have a parachute and his body was found in a backyard in the town of Fuquay-Varina.
Charles Hew Crooks (pictured), 23, was the “visibly upset” co-pilot aboard the 1983 CASA C-212 Aviocar that made an emergency landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on July 29. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Crooks may have opened the plane’s cockpit at 3,500 feet after telling the lead pilot that he was feeling ill
The small cargo plane, a 1983 CASA C-212 Aviocar, made an emergency landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport after losing its right wheel during an earlier attempt to land. The plane’s co-pilot on board jumped from the plane after feeling “excited” at the unsuccessful attempt to land
According to a report by the NTSB, Crooks “got out of his seat, removed his headset, apologized and exited the plane through the rear ramp door.” Pictured: The plane that made an emergency landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on July 29
Tuesday’s report said the two pilots had been flying skydives from Raeford West Airport earlier in the day. They were descending into the airport for the third time when the hard landing occurred.
Crooks was flying the approach when the plane crashed and both pilots requested a go-around, the report said. Before Crooks could initiate a climb, the right main landing gear impacted the runway.
The other pilot took over the flight controls, the report says. He instructed Crooks to declare an emergency and request a diversion to Raleigh-Durham International Airport to land.
The pilot told investigators that Crooks was upset “about 20 minutes into the start of the diversion to RDU after conducting approach and emergency briefings,” the report said.
This map shows the area of North Carolina where Crook’s body was found after the plane he was piloting made an emergency landing at Raleigh-Durham Airport
Crooks’ body was found 30 miles south of Raleigh-Durham International Airport in the trees of a property in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
Earlier this month, an audio recording was released of two unnamed Federal Aviation Administration employees telling a 911 dispatcher that the damaged plane was headed to the airport.
The pilot on board apparently told them at the time that Crooks “jumped out of the plane,” news outlets reported.
“We have a pilot who was on his way to the field,” a controller told the 911 dispatcher, according to the audio file. “His co-pilot jumped out of the plane. He touched the ground and here are the coordinates.’
“At this point, we can only recover,” FAA personnel said at the end of the 911 call. “I mean, I don’t know. I’ve never heard… that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.
The phone call lasted about 13 minutes, during which the controllers reported several times that the copilot had jumped.
Wake County emergency response chief Darshan Patel said the initial 911 call prompted a search for Crooks.
The plane also had significant fuselage damage, the National Transportation Safety Board noted in its report.
The plane had fuselage and landing gear damage, the National Transportation Safety Board also confirmed in its report
Hew Crooks, the 23-year-old’s father, said flying was his son’s “lifetime dream”. He said his son is a former flight instructor and is certified to fly in all conditions
The pilot in command of the aircraft, whose name has not been released, suffered minor injuries. He was taken to Duke Hospital before eventually being released. He is in good condition.
Strangely, in a 40-minute exchange between the unidentified pilot and air traffic control, there is no mention or suggestion that Crooks fell from the plane.
The pilot can be heard saying, “Emergency, we’ve lost our right wheel. We would like to fly on to Raleigh and land in Raleigh.”
He adds: “We have two people on board. We have enough fuel on board for the next four hours.”
Air Traffic Control replies: ‘Raleigh-Durham Airport or Raleigh-General?’ “Rogers resume all navigation to Raleigh-Durham Airport.”
“For clarity, have you tried landing on Raeford West?” he asks. ‘Made [the wheel] still fall off in mid-air?’
“We tried to land,” said the pilot. “We made contact with the ground and had a hard landing and decided to go around and at that point we lost the wheel.”
When air traffic control asked how they were planning to land, the pilot said, “We’re going to fly in as slowly as we can, and I think we’re going to put it on our stomachs.” Then he repeated that the right wheel of the plane fell off.
Crooks was a graduate of Bucknall University, where he earned a degree in political science before earning his pilot’s license
Father Hew Crooks (left) and mother Kate Crooks (second left) with their son, pilot Charlie Crooks
Several law enforcement agencies were on standby when the plane touched down runway 5R-23L at Raleigh-Durham International Airport at approximately 2:40 p.m
But there was one person on the plane with no sign of Crooks, the second co-pilot.
The family, who lived at the property where Crooks was found, later told local news outlets they heard a loud bang and called the police.
Crooks, the 23-year-old’s father, said that flying was his son’s “lifetime dream” and that he was a former flight instructor certified to fly in all conditions.
Crooks told WRAL that Crooks recently told him that “he wouldn’t change places with anyone in the world. He loved where he was.’
The plane belonged to Rampart Aviation of Colorado. The company did not respond to ‘s request for comment. Crooks started working at the company five months ago, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The 10-seat aircraft, a CASA C-212 Aviocar manufactured in Spain in 1983, was not operating a commercial flight at the time of the incident.