Authorities are investigating the death of a 23-year-old North Carolina pilot who reportedly exited a small plane mid-air during an emergency landing

• Police identified the body of a 23-year-old man as a pilot who exited a plane mid-flight on Friday.
• The incident happened during an emergency landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

A 23-year-old North Carolina pilot was killed when he exited a small plane mid-flight during an emergency landing on Friday, according to officials and reports.

The body of the pilot, identified as Charles Hew Crooks of Raleigh, North Carolina, was recovered by authorities after the 10-person plane landed in a grassy area at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Friday, WRAL reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration told CNN that the incident occurred just before 3 p.m. Per both reports, the only two people on the plane when it departed were Crooks and his fellow co-pilot.

The surviving pilot, who was not named, was the sole person on the plane upon landing, the report said. The pilot was reportedly transported to a local hospital after sustaining minor injuries.

Officials said Crooks' body was spotted by a Fuquay-Varina resident who alerted law enforcement after they "heard something in their backyard," according to WRAL. First responders said that Crooks did not have a parachute when he was found, local outlets reported.

"During the canvass, a resident on Copain Cove approached an officer with the Fuquay-Varina Police Department and provided information regarding the possible whereabouts of the co-pilot," Fuquay-Varina Police said in a statement. "After further investigation, we were able to positively identify the co-pilot. With the assistance of City-County Bureau of Identification, we were able to identify the co-pilot's next of kin. "

It is not immediately clear if Crooks jumped or fell during the incident. Local police said that the NTSB and FAA are looking into the matter.