The death of a young co-pilot who landed in a family's back garden remains shrouded in mystery.
Charles Hew Crooks, 23, was flying at a height of more than 1,000 metres when he either fell or jumped out of the small plane.
His body was found near trees in a residential area around a 25 mile drive from the nearest airport.
Mr Crooks had taken to the sky from Raeford, North Carolina, alongside a second pilot at 1.10pm on Friday.
But 40 minutes later, the pilots told traffic control that the right wheel of their plane had fallen off when they tried to land.
When the plane made an emergency landing an hour later, one of the pilots was missing.
While the other had managed to escape the twin engine cargo plane with minor injuries.
An investigation has been launched into how Mr Crooks exited the twin-engine CASA CN-212 Aviocar.
Authorities confirmed he was not wearing a parachute when he fell from midair.
It is understood the fall happened around 20 minutes before the plane managed to land at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
Video footage obtained by WRAL of Raleigh shows the plane appear to skid off the runway and spin before coming to a standstill.
Emily Osborn was working from home in the Fuquay-Varina neighbourhood of Sonoma Springs at the time.
The resident said she thought nothing of it when she heard a branch snap in the woods behind her house until she was later told what had happened.
"I can’t look at that tree,. I can't go in my backyard," she told The News and Observer.
"My heart goes out to the family and people involved."
Police discovered Mr Crook's body at the base of the broken tree in Ms Osborn's back garden at around 7pm on the day of the incident.
Aerial images from the scene show a dense wooded area behind the house with thick scrub and tall trees.
Ms Osborn said the view from the back of her home is now a reminder of the tragedy and hopes that an explanation of his death would help bring closure for his family.
