Pilot falls off plane without parachute before making emergency landing, dies

A pilot falls off the plane before making an emergency landing at the airport, and soon after reporting that one of the wheels had come off the landing gear, reports AP.

A small cargo aircraft's co-pilot died after falling from the plane in North Carolina, United State before it made an emergency landing. The body of the co-pilot, 23-year-old Charles Hew Crooks, was found in a backyard in the town of Fuquay-Varina, about 30 miles (48 km) south of the Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

He did not have a parachute, reported Newsoutletsreport. The pilot made an emergency landing at the airport Friday afternoon after reporting that one of the wheels had come off the landing gear.

He was treated and released from a hospital with minor injuries. The pilot was the only person on board the turboprop aircraft when it landed. Local, state and federal authorities, including the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, are investigating.

(With inputs from AP)