By Chantal Da Silva —
NBC News
A 911 emergency call from air traffic controllers suggests the co-pilot who died after exiting a plane during a mid-flight emergency last week may have jumped from the plane on purpose, according to a recording released Tuesday.
The body of 23-year-old Charles Hew Crooks was found last weekend after falling from the plane Friday afternoon near Raleigh, North Carolina.
He was not wearing a parachute when he exited the twin-engined CASA CN-212 Aviocar, which raised questions as to whether he had fallen or jumped.
The 13-minute recording of a 911 call made by two Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees at the Raleigh-Durham airport air traffic control tower sheds some light, stating that the other The aircraft's pilot reported that Crooks had jumped.
A twin-engine CASA CN-212 Aviocar at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on July 29, 2022.Simon Palmore via Twitter
“This is from the Raleigh airport.
We have a pilot who was entering the field.
His co-pilot jumped out of the plane, ”says an FAA employee before providing the coordinates of the place of the incident.
"So, they say he jumped out of the plane," adds the employee, "his co-pilot jumped without the parachute, so he could have hit the ground."
The 911 officer says at one point, "I guess right now the only thing we can do is sort of a recovery."
Another FAA worker taking the call says, “Yeah, I know.
Yeah, I mean, I don't know.
This is the craziest thing I've ever come across"
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“I mean, I'm sure this driver is going to be in shock.
I have no idea.
He literally just said, 'My pilot just jumped,'” says the employee.
The identities of the FAA workers have not been released.
The reason why Crooks might have jumped has not been indicated.
The pilot had notified air traffic control that there was a problem with the landing gear and had asked to make an emergency landing at the Raleigh-Durham airport.
The plane landed in a grassy area of the airport around 2:40 p.m., according to the FAA.
In video obtained by NBC News affiliate Raleigh station WRAL, the plane appears to skid off the runway and turn in a partial circle before coming to a stop.
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The landing gear and fuselage sustained significant damage, according to information compiled by the National Transportation Safety Board, The Associated Press news agency reports.
Several agencies collaborated in the search for Crooks.
His body was recovered in the nearby town of Fuquay-Varina after a resident tipped off an officer that he had heard a noise behind his property.
Crooks' father, Hew Crooks, told WRAL that his son spent years working toward his dream of becoming a pilot.
“He pursued his private pilot's license while he was in college.
I think he got it when he was a sophomore,” Crooks said.
“He said a couple of weeks ago that he wouldn't trade for anyone in the world.
He loved where he was,” he added.
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Crooks said his son was certified to fly in any conditions and had previously been a flight instructor.
He said his family had been devastated and wondered what exactly had happened.
"I can't imagine what happened," she said, "we'll find out, I guess."
"We are a strong and very loving family," she added, "but this leaves a void."