Darshan Patel, the Director of Operations for Wake County EMS Emergency Management said in a briefing at 7:15 p.m. that a body matching the description of the missing plane passenger was recovered. The man, identified as Charles Hew Crooks, 23, was found near Sunset Lake Road and Hilltop Needmore Road in Fuquay-Varina. According to Patel, “There was no indication” that Crooks had a parachute. “We had officers responding to the area for the investigation and they were flagged down by a resident. They had heard something in their yard that led us to find that person,” Patel said. The CASA C-212 Aviocar, built in Spain in 1983, landed on Runway 5R-23L at approximately 2:40 p.m. and escaped into the grass. RDU first responders said the pilot aboard the aircraft was taken to Duke Hospital with minor injuries. The pilot told authorities that a passenger ejected before the landing attempt. The jumper was initially thought to have exited the plane into a body of water near West Lake High School in Apex. Authorities were actively searching that area, but later expanded the search to the 3200 block of James Slaughter Road in Fuquay-Varina. “We have a very large search area,” Patel said at a media briefing on Friday afternoon. “Right now, what we know is that the passenger was wearing tan pants and a logo shirt,” Patel said. “We don’t have the color, but that’s all the description we have right now. We’re working with the RDU and the FAA and the pilot Authorities searched from Apex to the Harnett County line and were working to narrow down the search area. Crews launched a drone to assist in the search. Cary was one of several jurisdictions involved in the investigation. Fire, police and EMS personnel also assisted. Back at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the airport was temporarily shut down until the scene was secured, RDU officials said. Runway 5L-23R has reopened while Runway 5R-23L will remain closed until further notice. At least one American Airlines flight (Flight 2693) from Dallas was diverted. Others had delayed landings as a result of the incident. The plane landed after the right landing gear was unable to open. The left landing gear appeared to be functioning properly. The plane is owned by Spore LTD LLC in Colorado Springs and took off from Raeford. Attempts to reach Spore LTD and Hoke County aviation officials were unsuccessful. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident. Copyright © 2022 WTVD-TV. All rights reserved.
