FAA, NTSB have yet to interview surviving co-pilot about whether man fell or jumped from plane
Charles Hew Crooks, 23, died July 29 and was one of two people on board the flight.
Posted — UpdatedFederal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board leaders told WRAL News they have yet to speak with the surviving co-pilot of a small plane that made an emergency landing last week at Raleigh-Durham International Airport after a man fell or jumped from it.
Charles Hew Crooks, 23, died July 29 and was one of two people on board the flight, which had only one person on it when it landed at RDU.
The FAA will lead the investigation into how Crooks, the co-pilot of the flight, managed to fall from the plane.
On Monday, the FAA issued a statement to WRAL News, saying it would interview the pilot as part of its investigation. However, the FAA said it does not discuss timelines.
The NTSB issued the following statement:
“NTSB did not send an investigator to the scene. Currently, NTSB is working with the FAA collecting information, evaluating the damage of the aircraft that was sustained in the hard landing and circumstances to determine the extent of an NTSB investigation. No decision has been made at this point.”
On Monday, the NTSB said it was not planning to conduct interviews on the July 29 incident.
Flight attorney offers perspective on what happened
“This is definitely one of the strangest aviation events that I have observed,” said aviation accident attorney James Crouse, who also has 40 years of piloting experience.
Crooks fell as the pilot was en route from Raeford West Airport to RDU.
“I don’t know, obviously, why anybody under that circumstance would leave the aircraft because aircraft land often or not irregularly with landing-gear issues,” Crouse said.
The CASA 212 is military-style plane used for parachuting that has a rear, ramp door that can be opened mid-flight. As of Monday, it’s still unclear whether Crooks was near that door.
“This young man could have gone in the back to check out the status of the landing gear,” Crouse said.
Problems with the plane’s landing gear forced the pilots to make an emergency landing.
“I would not have thought it would be unusual if one person just said, ‘ Let me just go back and take a look,’ or the captain or pilot-in-command said, ‘Let me control at the controls. Why don’t you go back and see what we got back there?’” Crouse said.
Crouse said any cockpit voice recorder could have answers about the pilot’s movements midflight.
“I don’t have any idea why or how he left the aircraft,” Crouse said of Crooks. “It just seems strange.”
Crooks was a pilot for Rampart Aviation, which has contract with the military to provide training and other services.
WRAL News has reached out repeatedly to Rampart Aviation, but leaders there have only said they have no comment.
Timeline of the flight
The log shows the flight took off at 1:10 p.m. Friday, July 29, from Raeford West Airport.
Flight N497CA’s maximum speed was 228 mph at 1:27 p.m., the log shows.
The plane’s maximum height was 13,150 feet at 1:23 p.m. and at 1:52 p.m.
The log shows the plane went below 1,000 feet in elevation several times:
- from 1:32 p.m. to 1:34 p.m.
- from 2:03 p.m. to 2:05 p.m.
- from 2:09 p.m. to 2:10 p.m.
- from 2:45 p.m. to 2:44 p.m.
- and before making an emergency landing at 2:48 p.m. at RDU
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