FUQUAY-VARINA, N.C. — A 23-year-old man who “exited” a plane before it made an emergency Friday afternoon landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport was found dead several hours later in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, according to authorities.
Charles Hew Crooks, the plane’s co-pilot who was not wearing a parachute, did not survive the fall and was found in the backyard of a Fuquay-Varina resident, WRAL-TV reported.
The incident began just before 3 p.m. EDT Friday when the twin-engine turbo prop aircraft reported landing gear issues as it approached the airport, The News & Observer reported, citing Raleigh-Durham International Airport officials.
According to the facility, the plane landed on Runway 5R-23L and veered into the grass. WRAL obtained video of the landing.
According to an airport spokesperson, the pilot, the only passenger on the plane when it reached the runway, was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries.
It was not immediately clear if Crooks, of Raleigh, leapt from the plane or if he fell. WRAL reported.
Darshan Patel, operations manager for Wake County emergency management, said at a news briefing that he was not certain of the plane’s height when Crooks exited the aircraft, but a map of the plane’s flight path from flight-tracking service ADS-B Exchange suggested that the plane was at about 3,800 feet, The News & Observer reported.
According to FlightAware.com, the plane, which is registered to Colorado Springs, Colorado-based Spore LTD LLC, departed from Raeford in Hoke County at 1:10 p.m. EDT and landed about 2:49 p.m. EDT, the newspaper reported.
According to the company’s North Carolina business registration, Spore Ltd. is managed by Rampart Aviation, which offers pilot and aircraft training commercially and for the Department of Defense, The News & Observer reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
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