Newly-released phone calls shed light on law enforcement response to pilot who jumped out of plane

New calls released from Cary Police Department show how first responders coordinated the search for a man who jumped out of a plane prior to an emergency landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport last month.

In the calls, Raleigh-Wake Emergency Communications Center tells Cary 911 it's believed the man jumped within a one-mile radius of West Lake Middle School, which falls in Cary's jurisdiction.

Several law enforcement entities were involved in the search for 23-year-old Charles Crooks, including Wake County Emergency Management, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina and State Highway Patrol.

In the calls, law enforcement agencies discuss how to search for Crooks, including using drones, underwater drones and requesting a SHP helicopter.

"We're going to be the first arriving units on the scene," a Cary fire official says in the call. "What would you like us to do? Start searching the woods on the back side of the middle school?"

"All units be advised, all schools are releasing right now," a first responder says. "Traffic's bad."

First responders also asked what altitude the plane was at when Crooks jumped in order to help with the search.

"We have conducted a cellphone ping of [Crook's] phone, and it is tracking to the airport at this time," Cary fire officials said.

First responders were also sent to search in the areas of Optimist Farm and Sunset Lake.

Authorities discovered Crooks' body around 7 p.m. Friday, July 29, in the backyard of a Fuquay-Varina home.

"Can we get some law enforcement over here? There's a lot of bystanders," a first responder says after Crook's body was found.

A neighbor who heard a noise flagged down officers in the area. Officers found Crooks with no signs of a harness or parachute.