The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the death of a man last week linked to the emergency landing of the plane he was piloting. The body of Charles Hew Crooks, 23, was found Friday night in a Fuquay-Varina yard, hours after the plane landed at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. It is unclear whether Crooks, who was one of the two pilots of the CASA 212-200 plane, jumped or fell from the plane. The news comes a day after the Federal Aviation Administration said it would lead the investigation. The RDU Police Department said it interviewed the surviving co-pilot, whose name was not released. RDU police did not release the incident report, citing the ongoing investigation. Airport police turned the interview over to the FAA and NTSB. Initial reports indicate the plane sustained significant damage to its landing gear and fuselage, according to the NTSB. The NTSB will determine the scope of its investigation after more information is gathered. The board has not held interviews since Tuesday. WRAL News also requested interviews with FAA and RDU police. Wake County Emergency Management Operations Director Darshan Patel said the initial 911 call came in at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Friday, July 29. Flight logs show the emergency landing took place at 2:48 p.m. “Once the aircraft landed, it was confirmed based on a report that the pilot said the second person on the aircraft had exited the aircraft prior to landing,” Patel said. Patel said more than 80 people were involved in the search for Crooks. “In the beginning, it was a pretty large search area, and we wanted to make sure we were using our resources effectively and efficiently to do everything we could for this person,” Patel said. Several law enforcement entities were involved in the search for Crooks, including Wake County Emergency Management, the City of Cary, the City of Holly Springs, the City of Fuquay-Varina and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. “It was kind of all hands on deck for the people that were in that area,” Patel said. This is a developing story. Please refresh the page for the latest information.
