Death of man who fell from airplane into Fuquay-Varina backyard ruled an accident

An autopsy report shows the man who apparently jumped from a small plane in July died of multiple blunt force trauma.

The body of Charles Hew Crooks was found in a Fuquay-Varina backyard, hours after the plane he was co-piloting made an emergency landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The report on his death shows no drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of death, but multiple broken bones and damage to his heart, lungs and other internal organs.

Crooks, 23, and a co-pilot had flown two skydiving runs on July 29 before an attempted landing at Raeford West Airport to pick up a third group, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

Crooks was flying the approach when the airplane descended below the treeline and "dropped." Both pilots then called for a "go-around maneuver," which Crooks initiated. However, before Crooks could begin climbing, the right main landing gear hit the runway.

The pilot-in-command took over control from Crooks and flew over the airfield where airfield employees let the pilot know they had recovered a broken piece of the landing gear on the runway. The pilots then decided to declare an emergency and request diversion to RDU for landing.

According to the NTSB report, Crooks "got up from his seat, removed his headset, apologized and departed the airplane via the aft ramp door."

Man told RDU tower his co-pilot 'jumped out' of plane before emergency landing

The autopsy report says Crooks "told the pilot that he felt he was going to be sick and apologized. He then departed the cockpit towards the open rear ramp; at some point, the pilot realized that he had apparently fallen from the aircraft."

His death was ruled an accident. "It was concluded that the decedent had gone aft, likely to vomit from the open ramp, and accidentally fallen from the aircraft," the autopsy reads.

The pilot-in-command was able to land the plane safely and without injuries at RDU.