US Pilot Who ‘Exited’ Plane in Mid-Flight ‘Needed Air’, Report Says

The father of Charles Hew Crooks, whose body was found in a backyard in the town of Fuquay-Varina in late July, told reporters that he “can’t imagine what happened”, but voiced hope that the authorities will “figure it out”.

Charles Hew Crooks, a pilot who jumped to his death from a plane flying over North Carolina in July, reportedly told his colleague that he felt sick and needed air before “exiting” the plane without a parachute on July 29.

According to NBC News quoting a National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report, the 23-year-old was the second-in-command of the CASA CN-212 Aviocar plane. He reportedly became “visibly upset” after the plane hit the runway on a landing upon ferrying skydivers. Crooks then declared an emergency and informed air traffic controllers at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, before breaking communication.

The report added that the 23­-year-old allegedly “exited” via the aircraft’s aft ramp door after he removed his headset and apologized to the senior pilot. The investigation of the accident is underway.