North Carolina

Co-Pilot Dead After Fall or Jump From Small Plane Making Emergency Landing

The man's body was found in the backyard of a home near North Carolina's Raleigh-Durham International Airport, where the pilot was able to land the plane

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The co-pilot of a small plane died Friday after falling from the aircraft in North Carolina before it made an emergency landing.

NBC affiliate WRAL reports that the body of the co-pilot, 23-year-old Charles Hew Crooks, was found in a backyard in the town of Fuquay-Varina, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. He did not have a parachute.

The pilot made an emergency landing at the airport Friday afternoon after reporting that one of the wheels had come off the landing gear. He was treated and released from a hospital with minor injuries.

The pilot was the only person on board the turboprop aircraft when it landed.

The plane, which is owned by SPORE LTD LLC, is a small 10-person plane, according to WRAL.

Local, state and federal authorities, including the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, are investigating.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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