Officials in Texas, United States, have reported that a helicopter crashed into a radio tower in Houston, causing a massive fire and resulting in the death of four individuals, including a child. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
The incident occurred on Sunday evening, before 8 p.m., when a private aircraft collided with a radio tower in Houston, as stated by Houston police.
The National Transportation Safety Board stated that the helicopter was conducting an aerial sightseeing flight at the time of the crash.
Authorities revealed that all four occupants on the helicopter perished in the accident, with no injuries reported on the ground.
Apart from the radio tower, no residential or commercial buildings were affected, but the crash ignited a fire spanning two to three blocks.
After the crash, firefighters from the Houston Fire Department swiftly extinguished the blaze.
Houston police spokesperson Jonathan French expressed relief that no one on the ground was harmed, calling the incident a “terrible tragedy” and noting that it could have been even worse.
Investigations into the crash are being carried out by Houston authorities, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Based on data from public sources and information from investigators, the helicopter struck a 1,000-foot tower while flying at an altitude of 600 feet.
According to a notice issued by the Federal Aviation Administration last week to pilots, the lights on the radio tower were reported as “unserviceable” until the end of the month.
Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz, along with federal officials, confirmed that the aircraft involved in the crash was a privately owned Robinson R44 helicopter.
As per the Federal Aviation Administration, the flight was classified as a “sightseeing” trip, with the helicopter registered to Porter Equipment Holdings LLC in Magnolia, Texas.
(This article is compiled based on reports from ABC and CNN.)