A FATHER has said he “can’t imagine” what happened after his 23-year-old son reportedly jumped from a plane without a parachute.
Charles Crooks had worked to become a professional pilot, his father said, calling his son a “flying fanatic.”
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“I don’t know,” Hew Crooks told WRAL. “We can’t handle it now, I don’t know.”
According to Hew, Charles had obtained his pilot’s license during his studies.
“I think he got that when he was a sophomore, he said a few weeks ago, he wouldn’t trade places with anyone in the world. He loved where he was.”
However, the Raleigh-Durham International Airport received a report Friday of a plane making an emergency landing on their runway.
The plane was a small place for 10 people and Charles was the copilot, but he was nowhere to be seen when it landed.
His body was found after a neighbor attacked officers and described hearing “something” in their backyard.
His body was later found after a neighbor attacked officers and described hearing “something” in their backyard in Fuquay-Varina.
Investigators believe Charles fell or jumped from the plane without a parachute while it was still in the air.
“I can’t imagine what happened,” his father said. “We’ll figure it out, I guess.”
His father added that Charles had worked as a flight instructor for over a year and was certified to fly in all conditions.
Researchers are still trying to determine what happened in his final moments.
“We are a strong family and we are a very loving family. But this leaves a hole,” his father said. “I don’t know. We can’t handle it now.”
The other pilot suffered minor injuries, but was able to land the aircraft safely.
He was released from a local hospital Friday night, officials said.
The plane landed in the grass after skidding off the runway at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
Reports indicated that the pilot had a problem with the aircraft’s landing gear, leading to an emergency landing.
WRAL News got audio from the pilot asking air traffic control for help.
“Emergency, we have lost our right wheel”, heard the pilot say in the recording.
“We want to speak to Raleigh and make an emergency landing at Raleigh.”
Officials temporarily closed the RDU airport while they worked to secure the scene.
Travelers at the airport reported hearing an announcement that the departure would not be affected by the incident.
However, the runway where the plane landed would remain closed for some time.
Witness accounts captured a swarm of emergency services on the runway as the plane came in for landing.
“I saw a whole crowd of people looking out the window at the jet bridge, and then I saw that propeller plane on the grass behind the runway and some emergency vehicles,” witness Simon Palmore told WRAL.
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