Free will jump? Or....pushed?
 

https://news.yahoo.com/expert-casts-doubt-story-north-152833802.html

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-6Hi7Cwyek8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Slipped and fell accidentally while trying to view wheel/underside damage.

Makes sense.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jZBncvM26MA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I can't imagine any sane person trying to climb out of the cockpit to look at the wheel in that situation. Do a slow and low fly by at the airport, and ask someone on the ground to look as you go by. And you will still have to land with or without a wheel.

We have a Cessna 182. To take oblique angle photos for some customers we take the screw out of the window support lever, and when flying the window will stay up by wind force and just stay up under the wing. To put my hand and arm out into that wind stream is a chore just to grab the edge of the window and lower it down to latch it. I can't image trying to stand in that wind.

It is a bizarre situation.

....(Hmm, we have a mayday situation here with the landing gear - I can't think of a better time to commit suicide).....

Yeah, but a 23 year old isn't always sane.

I heard he was tossing drugs out and fell. He new they would be drawing a crowd when they landed.

Maybe he was whacked out on some drug. Not infrequently a story comes out where somebody is strolling down the middle of the trees butt nekkid, or trying to snuggle with a lion at the zoo.

Maybe he figured since he has his pilots license he could fly.

This. My suspicion is the PIC sent him back to look at the undercarriage to see what they had and he fell off of the ramp, everyone familiar with the ramp has talked about how there's no handhold etc, and the back end of a plane moves around a lot.
PIC says he jumped to cover his behind.

They were flying a CASA C 212 Aviocar.

https://simpleflying.com/casa-c-212-aviocar-brief-history/

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659631203.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659631203.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1659631203.jpg

Maybe his fathers name is D.B.?

Or...he was trying to set a new Guinness World Record for the highest dive into a swimming pool....and he just missed the target.

This makes the most sense.

Here's how I see it.

The left seat requests that the copilot take a look, or the copilot decides for himself to check out the status of the gear, and loses his grip. There's surely a leash for the jumpmaster, maybe it wasn't long enough for for the victim to be able to see properly? Or just decided not to clip in?

The pilot was recorded by the FAA as saying..."The Co-Pilot jumped out of the airplane"

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YAb_LRZoKzY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Spitballing here, and I am sorry the young man is dead.

The gear folds in under the sponson's somehow...you can see on the static pictures that the landing wheels are outside the sponson when deployed...third picture below.

I don't know why, and we will find out from the two passengers, but the "look at the gear" angle may have merit.

I do not know why. Ask for a fly-by, chase plane and keep flying: They had hours of gas. The worse thing that could happen has already occurred. Fly the aircraft, manage the emergency.

Aviate, navigate, communicate.

They had bounced hard at Radford, which is the parachute facility from which they were operating. They knew they had a gear issue as a result and were bound for Raleigh as an emergency. The pilot called 911 with the report of the copilot loss, never told tower, and seemed calm as hell.

^^^ That's the part that is so strange. Seems fishy to me.

Why didn't he radio when it happened??

Well, for one, everyone on the internet now listens to live ATC. Also, and I'm not wanting to slander anyone, but I doubt a 23 y/o copilot went back there on his own initiative. So... .