A young co-pilot who died in a mysterious jump from asmall plane in North Carolina last month was upset that a failed landing damaged the plane. officials said.
After his 1983 CASA C-212 Aviocar was forced to divert to another airport for an emergency landing, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report released on Tuesday. , his Charles Hews Crooks, 23, was "clearly upset."
The unnamed captain told investigators that the two had gone skydiving on the afternoon of July 29. Crooks was flying his approach to Raeford West Airport when the aircraft "crashed". His right main landing gear hit the runway.
Another of his pilots took over the controls and sent Crooks I instructed them to call for an emergency. Diversion to Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
According to the report, Crooks became upset "about 20 minutes after the detour … after making an approach and an emergency briefing." At 3,500 feet he opened the side windows of the cockpit and "could have felt sick."
The captain described to investigators how Crookes "rose from his seat, took off his headset, apologized, and left the plane through his door on the rear ramp."
After turning the plane slightly to the right to search for Crook, the other pilots radioed to air traffic control to report that the co-pilot "left the plane without a parachute."
The aircraft eventually landed safely at Raleigh-Durham Airport at around 2:40 pm, and was found to have sustained significant damage to the fuselage as well. The second pilot suffered minor injuries and was briefly hospitalized, but is in good condition.
Earlier this month,recordings of his 13-minute conversation between his two FAA controllers and his 911 dispatcher became the first search for Crooks. shed light on
"We have a pilot on the scene," said one controller. "His copilot jumped out of the plane. He hit the ground. Here are the coordinates."
Towards the end of the call, an FAA representative said, "At this point You can only recover,” I hear him say.
"I mean, I don't know. I've never heard of it... This is the craziest thing I've ever heard."
The crook was eventually found in the backyard of a house about 30 miles away. Raleigh Durham Airport.
According to his obituary, Crooks was a graduate of Bucknell University, and only five months before the tragic incident, he died at Rampart Aviation. He was a former flight instructor who accepted his "dream job." His father, Hugh Crooks, told reporters that flying is his son's "lifelong dream."
"[He said] he would not exchange places with anyone in the world," said Crooks the Elder. "He loved where he was."
According to the final report, the aircraft, which belonged to Rampart Aviation, was held for further investigation. The Colorado-based company could not be reached for comment.
