NEW Fox News articles can now be heard on audio! Read this article. 0:00 / 2:55 BeyondWords Authorities reported that a pilot from North Carolina passed away on Friday afternoon.
The small, 10-person plane had Charles Hew Crooks, 23, as one of its two passengers on Friday, but only one person was present when it landed in Wake County, North Carolina, according to WRAL.
According to the authorities, Crooks either leaped from the aircraft or fell from it while it was still in the air.
The report states that the remaining co-pilot, who reported to air traffic control that the plane had lost its right wheel and was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, safely made an emergency landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
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Numerous police officers searched the neighborhood and the plane’s flight path for Crook’s body as dozens of emergency personnel were stationed at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
Around 7 p.m. that night, his body was discovered in the woods outside a Fuquay-Varina residential area. It was roughly 30 miles from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, according to authorities.
The residents of the home informed law enforcement officers who were canvassing the area after the body fell about 30 to 40 feet from their residence, according to police.
After an unruly passenger’s meltdown was captured on video, a Frontier flight was diverted to Raleigh.
Residents contacted law enforcement after they “heard something in their backyard,” according to Wake County Emergency Management Chief of Operations Darshan Patel.
Fuquay-Varina Police Chief Brandon Medina stated at a press conference that evening that Crooks body fell at least 3,500 feet. He stated that although it was not immediately evident if the pilot had died before falling, officials are still looking into the situation.
Chief Medina only said that the circumstance was “special,” declining to specify whether the investigation is being considered as a criminal investigation.
Patel continued, “I think this was a first for many of us working this incident today.
Crooks’ family told WRAL that he had received his pilot’s license and that he enjoyed flying.
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The pilot’s father, Hew Crooks, responded, “We can’t handle it right now, I don’t know,” when questioned about his son’s passing.
“While in college, he pursued his private pilot’s certificate. He most likely acquired that when he was a sophomore, “Crooks threw in. “A few weeks ago, he declared that he wouldn’t switch places with anyone in the entire world. He was happy where he was.”
The father expressed his inability to comprehend what occurred when asked about the enigmatic circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
He said, “Well, work it out, I suppose.”
