In tragic news coming from Houston, Texas, a helicopter crashed into a radio tower, causing the death of four people, on Sunday, October 20.
During a news conference, Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz stated that the private helicopter carrying four passengers, including a toddler, had either impacted a cable or the tower. According to officials, no one was on the ground during the crash. The victims' names and ages have not yet been made public.
At a press conference, Mayor John Whitmire stated that the Robinson R44 II helicopter took off from Ellington Field, roughly 15 miles (24 kilometers) away, and crashed in Houston's Second Ward, east of the city's downtown, just before 8 p.m. Because a gas tank is nearby, the mayor also stated that the city is 'fortunate' that the explosion was not more catastrophic.
The details of where the helicopter was headed are still unclear. Police and fire authorities have advised people near the collision site to phone 911 if they locate anything on their property that could help their investigation.
Houston firefighters responded promptly after hearing the crash
After hearing the crash, firefighters from a nearby station rushed to the scene, according to Mayor Whitmire. While locals of the area were safe, Whitmire stated that the tower and helicopter were destroyed, and there was a 'terrible accident scene' with several casualties. Power also went off for some locals, Whitmire added.
Mario Castillo, Councilmember for Houston City Council, took to his X account to state that he was closely monitoring the crash situation. He said:
"I am monitoring the helicopter crash that occurred tonight. The helicopter that crashed in Second Ward was not an HPD helicopter, it was a private touring helicopter. As I receive more information I will share it with you."
According to Fire Chief Thomas Muñoz, a large area of grass caught fire, although the neighboring residences were not destroyed besides the tower. The Houston Fire Department has also been posting updates on the crash on its X account. In one of the posts, it mentioned that they had been using drones to help in the investigation.
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In new reports, SkyEye pilot Don Armstrong stated that he has always been concerned about the radio tower at Engelke Street and Ennis Street in the Second Ward due to the frequent outages of the aviation lighting, which consists of the red flashing lights at the top of the tower.
Don stated that unless you knew it was there, it would be nearly hard to notice the tower because of the background of downtown Houston rising from the south. According to Don, a pilot checks to see whether any towers in the area are having issues before they take off. He added that only a few days earlier, on October 17, the Second Ward tower notified the FAA that the light was out.
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