Pilot Charles Hew Crooks Fell Or Jumped To His Death After Nearly Crashing Plane In North Carolina

A young pilot died in late July after fell from a plane during a regional flight after botching an emergency landing in North California. Charles Hew Crooks was 23, and his co-pilot has recently revealed he became “visibly upset” before exiting the cockpit and falling from the CASA CN-212 Aviocar.

Language found inside the report on the tragedy from the National Transportation Safety Board has led some to theorize that the death was a suicide, but that has not been confirmed yet.

The plane was being used for skydiving runs when the incident occurred. The unnamed co-pilot told the NTSB that Crooks was doing fine in the flight until an emergency was declared in the middle.

Crooks then had to attempt a difficult emergency landing, but it failed when the plane suddenly “dropped.”

Crooks laboriously pulled the plane up enough to avert disaster, and scraped the landing gear in the process. After this incident is when the young pilot apparently became distressed and opened a cockpit window because he “felt like he was going to be sick and needed air.”

According to the witness, Crooks then apologized and got up from his seat, leaving the cockpit and opening the ramp door in the back of the plane.

The report then read that Crooks “departed” the aircraft and also that the co-pilot didn’t see him reach for a safety bar above the ramp, which is leading some to suspect the death was a suicide.

The pilot was able to land the plane after Crooks’ death without any more fatalities. It’s unclear why Crooks became distressed at this moment. He had been a certified flight instructor for years and reportedly flew through a variety of weather conditions.

His father told WRAL that his son was happy and proud to be a pilot.

“He pursued his pilot’s license while he was in college,” Hew Crooks recalled. “He said a couple of weeks ago, he wouldn’t trade places with anybody in the world. He loved where he was.”

If you or someone you know are experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide, help is available. Call the 24-hour Suicide and Crisis Line by dialing 988.