In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that around 2:40 p.m. local time, a twin-engine CASA CN-212 Aviocar landed on the grass at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. An airport spokesman said the plane’s pilot was found alone on the plane and was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Co-pilot Charles Hew Crooks, 23, who was not wearing a parachute, did not survive the crash and was found in a Fuquay-Varina resident’s backyard, WRAL-TV reported. The city of Fuquay-Varina is located approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Raleigh-Durham International Airport. In a statement, Fuquay-Varina Police said on Facebook: “Earlier today, surrounding law enforcement and fire agencies responded to the Sonoma Springs subdivision to locate the co-pilot who had ejected from the plane mid-flight.” Police then responded to information provided by a Captain Cove resident. “Upon further investigation, we were able to positively identify the co-pilot. With the help of the City-County Identification Bureau, we were able to identify the co-pilot’s next of kin. The co-pilot’s father, who is in Fairfield, Connecticut, was informed of the incident. It was not immediately clear whether Crooks jumped from the plane or fell out of the aircraft, and authorities are also unsure of the height of the plane when Crooks exited. A map of the plane’s flight path from the ADS-B Exchange flight tracking service indicated the plane was at about 3,800 feet, Darshan Patel, director of operations for Wake County Emergency Management, said in a news briefing. First responders found the Crooks when a resident dropped them off after they “heard something in their backyard,” Mr. Patel was quoted as saying. According to recordings obtained by WRAL-TV from the plane, a pilot can be heard calling air traffic control for help. “Emergency, we’ve lost our right wheel,” the pilot said on the recording. “We’d like to talk to Raleigh and make an emergency landing in Raleigh.” Videos obtained by the news agency show the plane skidding off the runway, where it rotates in a partial circle before coming to a stop. The video also shows ambulances waiting at the scene. The incident is being investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.
