(KNX) — A small plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Raleigh Durham International Airport on Friday after one of the plane's pilots either jumped or fell to his death.
According to federal authorities investigating the incident, it is unknown how the pilot, 23-year-old Charles Hew Crooks, exited the plane, either on accident or on purpose. Police shared they are working on piecing together what happened.
The pilot fell while the plane was attempting to get to the ground safely after it lost its right wheel, authorities shared.
Crooks' body was found approximately 30 miles south of the airport in the backyard of a Fuquay-Varina home.
Crooks did not have a parachute when he fell from what authorities believe to be about 3,500 feet. It is unsure if he died before the fall, authorities shared.
Darshan Patel, the Wake County Emergency Management chief of operations, shared with WRAL that the Federal Aviation Authority and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating what happened.
"I believe this was a first for many of us that were working this incident today," Patel said.
The plane was reportedly severely damaged, and the other pilot was taken to a hospital after they sustained minor injuries. They have since been released, but their identity has not yet been shared.
Hew Crooks, the Crooks' father, shared with WRAL that he has no idea what happened to his son, saying, "We can't process it right now. I don't know."
"He pursued his private pilot license while he was in college. I think he got that when he was a sophomore," Hew Crooks said. "He said a couple weeks ago, he wouldn't trade places with anybody in the world. He loved where he was."
Investigations into what happened are ongoing, but Fuquay-Varina police Chief Brandon Medina did not specify whether it would be treated like a criminal investigation or not.
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