A helicopter that crashed into a Houston radio tower Sunday, killing all four people aboard and starting a fire below, was on an air tour flight when the accident occurred, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday.
The Robinson R44 helicopter struck the tower and crashed at around 7:51 p.m. Sunday, said the NTSB, which is investigating. Officials did not release the ages and names of those killed Monday. One of them was a child, Houston’s police chief said Sunday.
“Our condolences go to the family and friends of those who were lost,” NTSB investigator Brian Rutt said Monday. He said that the wreckage is a “complex scene” and that officials are being meticulous in their approach.
The helicopter took off from Ellington Airport, which is in Houston, the NTSB said.
The aircraft struck a “guyed tower,” a structure that has cables attached to the ground, a spokesperson for communications company SBA Communications said.
SBA Communications acquired the tower on Sept. 4, and there was a “notice to air missions,” known as a NOTAM, to warn pilots, the spokesperson said.
The crash also brought down the tower. Debris covers about 4 acres, Houston police Lt. Jonathan French said at a news conference Monday.
Some vehicles on the ground were damaged, but there have been no reports that anyone on the ground was injured, French said. He said police and residents of the neighborhood were thankful more people weren’t hurt or killed.
“This was a horrible tragedy, but obviously it could have been much worse,” he said.
