Around 2:40 p.m. ET, a twin-engine CASA CN-212 Aviocar landed in the grass at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration told CNN in a statement.
The body of the man believed to be the co-pilot was recovered in Fuquay-Varina just before 7 p.m., Wake County emergency management spokesperson Darshan Patel said during a news conference. A resident had alerted officers searching the area that they heard something in their backyard, Patel said.
It is unclear whether Crooks jumped or fell from the plane, authorities say. Crooks was not wearing a parachute when his body was recovered, Patel said.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
Fuquay-Varina is about 15 miles southwest of Raleigh.