The autopsy on the body of the pilot Charles Hew Crooks, who fell from a plane in North Carolina, determined that the event was an accident.
The past July, Charles Hew Crooks, years old, was flying as a co-pilot in a CASA CN-212 Aviocar from a private company. From the rear ramp of the airplane, paratroopers were dropped. However, the landing gear was damaged during an attempt to land. At that moment, the pilot and Crook were inside.
The travelers alerted air traffic control. Shortly after, the plane experienced turbulence and Crooks told the pilot that he was unwell, the report cited by NBC News indicates.
“They were flying at approximately 3,500 feet with the rear ramp open for ventilation. The aircraft encountered moderate turbulence,” the document reads. That’s when Crooks opened a cockpit window to ventilate and possibly vomit.
“Shortly thereafter, he told the pilot that he felt he was going to vomit and apologized. Next, he stepped out of the cab onto the open rear ramp; at some point, the pilot realized that (his partner) had apparently fallen from the aircraft, “adds the report.
The man suffered multiple injuries as a result of the accidental fall shortly before landing. The autopsy concluded that Crooks did not suffer from any significant natural disease nor had he consumed alcohol or drugs.
The data handled by the The National Transportation Safety Board revealed that Crooks seemed visibly upset when he told the pilot that he felt unwell.
The pilot, who has not been publicly identified, told investigators that his partner tried to hold on unsuccessfully from a bar located 6 feet above the ramp.
About five hours later, the body was found in a Fuquay-Varina neighborhood, southwest of Raleigh. A resident heard a noise in the backyard and stumbled across the body.
Crooks’ father, Hew, declared to the aforementioned outlet that his son was a certified flight instructor who had spent years training to become a pilot.
” He got his private pilot’s license when he was in college.” According to Hew, his son loved what he did. “I can’t imagine what has happened,” he added.
It may interest you:
Pilot accused in Mississippi of stealing plane from airport and threatening to crash it into a Walmart was found dead in prison