Pilot who leapt to his death ‘upset’ after botched landing attempt

The young co-pilot who mysteriously jumped from a small aircraft in North Carolina to his death last month was upset about damaging the plane in a botched landing attempt, officials revealed.

Charles Hews Crooks, 23, was “visibly upset” after the 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 Tuesday.

The pilot-in-command, who has not been named, told investigators that the pair was conducting skydiving runs on the afternoon of July 29. Crooks was flying an approach to Raeford West Airport when the aircraft “dropped” and the right main landing gear impacted the runway.

The other pilot took over the controls and directed Crooks to request an emergency diversion to Raleigh-Durham International Airport.  

The report stated that Crooks became upset “about 20 minutes into the diversion … after conducting approach and emergency briefings.” He opened his side cockpit window at 3,500 feet and “may have gotten sick” before lowering the ramp at the back of the plane, indicating that he needed air.

The pilot-in-command described to investigators how Crooks “got up from his seat, removed his headset, apologized and departed the airplane via the aft ramp door.”

After briefly turning the plane to the right to search for Crooks, the other pilot radioed air traffic control to report that his co-pilot “departed the airplane without a parachute.”

The aircraft eventually landed successfully at the Raleigh-Durham airport around 2:40 p.m., and was found to also have substantial damage to its fuselage. The second pilot was briefly hospitalized with minor injuries, and is in good condition.

Earlier this month, a recording of the 13-minute conversation between two Federal Aviation Administration controllers and a 911 dispatcher shed light on the initial search for Crooks. 

“We have a pilot that was inbound to the field,” one controller says. “His co-pilot jumped out of the aircraft. He made impact to the ground and here are the coordinates.”

Toward the end of the call, the FAA personnel can be heard saying, “All we can do is recovery at this point.”

“I mean, I don’t know. I’ve never heard … this is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Crooks was eventually found in the backyard of a home about 30 miles away from the Raleigh-Durham airport. 

According to his obituary, Crooks was a Bucknell University graduate and former flight instructor who accepted his “dream job” with Rampart Aviation just five months before the tragic incident. His father, Hew Crooks, told reporters that flying was his son’s “lifelong dream.”

“[He said] he wouldn’t trade places with anybody in the world,” the elder Crooks said. “He loved where he was.”

According to the final report, the aircraft, which was owned by Rampart Aviation, was retained for further investigation. The Colorado-based company could not be reached for comment.