On July 29, 2022, Charles Crooks was co-piloting a twin-engine plane when he jumped out of it without a parachute. Crooks and an unnamed pilot were returning to the airport to pick up another group of skydivers, with Crooks as the pilot flying. When the plane encountered a windshear, Crooks initiated a go-around, but before a climb was established the right main landing gear hit the runway before it fell off. The pilots declared an emergency and requested to divert to a larger airport. About 20 minutes into the diversion, Crooks became visibly upset. He opened his side cockpit window and lowered the ramp in the back of the airplane, indicating he was going to be sick and needed air. The unnamed pilot said Crooks looked at him, said he was sorry, got up from his seat, removed his headset, and ran out of the airplane through the aft ramp door. The pilot notified the air traffic controller that Crooks had just jumped out of the airplane. The NTSB ruled Crooks’ death an accident that was caused by the airplane’s encounter with windshear during landing, which resulted in a hard landing and separation of the right landing gear. The report also said it was Crooks’ decision to leave his seat during the flight that resulted in his fall from the airplane. Tests showed that 23-year-old Crooks had no drugs or alcohol in his system. The pilot landed the plane in a grassy area near the Raleigh airport. Crooks’ body was found in a neighborhood in Fuquay-Varina, southwest of Raleigh, about 5 hours after a resident heard a noise in the backyard.
Co-Pilot Jumps Out of Plane Without a Parachute
On July 29, 2022, Charles Crooks was co-piloting a twin-engine plane when he jumped out of it without a parachute. Crooks and an unnamed pilot were returning to the airport to pick up another group of skydivers, with Crooks as the pilot flying. When the plane encountered a windshear, Crooks initiated a go-around, but before a climb was established the right main landing gear hit the runway before it fell off. The pilots declared an emergency and requested to divert to a larger airport. About 20 minutes into the diversion, Crooks became visibly upset. He opened his side cockpit window and lowered the ramp in the back of the airplane, indicating he was going to be sick and needed air. The unnamed pilot said Crooks looked at him, said he was sorry, got up from his seat, removed his headset, and ran out of the airplane through the aft ramp door. The pilot notified the air traffic controller that Crooks had just jumped out of the airplane. The NTSB ruled Crooks’ death an accident that was caused by the airplane’s encounter with windshear during landing, which resulted in a hard landing and separation of the right landing gear. The report also said it was Crooks’ decision to leave his seat during the flight that resulted in his fall from the airplane. Tests showed that 23-year-old Crooks had no drugs or alcohol in his system. The pilot landed the plane in a grassy area near the Raleigh airport. Crooks’ body was found in a neighborhood in Fuquay-Varina, southwest of Raleigh, about 5 hours after a resident heard a noise in the backyard.