23-Year-Old Co-Pilot Dies After Exiting Plane Without Parachute

A pilot fell to his death after exiting a plane mid-flight during an emergency landing near Raleigh, North Carolina. Police say 23-year-old Charles Hew Crooks either jumped or fell from the plane without a parachute; however, there is no mention of the pilot exiting the aircraft on new audio recordings from inside the cockpit. After a lengthy search on Friday, Crooks’ body was found in a backyard roughly 30 miles from where the plane landed. The second pilot’s identity is still unknown.

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[dianeyoung]

How sad, sincere condolences to his family and friends.

[KC-kusp]

Something isn’t right when the parents don’t want answers. There’s way more here that needs to be uncovered…

[dianagary]

What an awful thing to happen to that young man.

[ajetmech]

Sounds very suspicious to me. Pilots just don't do that!

[wesmcgee]

He was trying to obtain a visual assessment of the landing gear by leaning out of the rear ramp. He didnt secure himself and fell out. The pilot probably didn't know that. The only mystery is why he didn't secure himself.

[Anthonyw]

Everyone grieves diff but something about those parents seems off.

[perchit]

They need to investigate this because a co pilot and and pilot tells each other everything their about to do especially in small planes like those.

[zjones]

This is so bizarre. I was a mechanic in the Air Force for 31 years and I can say with complete assurance that any modern aircraft in good condition can land on it's belly just fine. The plane may never fly again after that but it won't burst into flames. Why he would have jumped with no parachute when it would have been safe to stay onboard I have no idea.

[amistenson]

No pilot is going to jump out over missing a single right wheel.

[victorburnett]

Best guess is the guy fell out trying to fix the wheel and the pilot had no clue as he could not leave the controls.

[ryanroberts]

There are so many many many news stories these days that simply make you say WTF??! And this is one of them...

[imyourhuckleberry]

Not sure if I ever heard a story like this. Your chilling in your backyard and a body falls out the sky. Interested in what the investigation turns up. RIP young man!

[ericac.]

I would want answers if I was the parent

[MOEMUGGY]

The plane was having problems with the right landing gear according to reports. The co-pilot was trying to get a visual on the right landing gear by putting his head out of the open door at the back of the aircraft where the skydivers jump out. He unfortunately wasn't tied off or have a parachute on when he slipped and fell to his death.

[hollyhold]

Oh, that pilot is going to be under close questioning. Poor guy. Or, not??? The uncertainty is extremely unfair to the survivor if he's innocent. What a horrible circumstance.

[soulshine]

Did they say no communication or mention to tower of a copilot jumping out till plane was on the ground? That’s really strange.

[crowdedboss]

I cannot believe the fear the Co-Pilot would've had for 25 seconds as he was free-falling to his inevitable death. It's like one of those dreams, only you won't wake up this time.

[jeffjones]

Pilot neglected to mention his copilot's premature disembarkation?

[miguelcabrera]

This is weird. The pilot never mentioned the co-pilot had jumped.

[qolspony]

The part that bothers me the most was a neighbor alarming authorities about a loud sound in the backyard. They already knew something. And the pain and confusion of witnessing something like this is a story of it own.