CHOPPER HORROR
Four dead including child in fireball helicopter crash as chopper slams into Houston radio tower & drops from sky
Footage shows the chopper plunge to the ground
FOUR people, including a child, have died in a horrific crash after a helicopter smashed into a radio tower.
Pulse-pounding footage captured the moment the private chopper flew along the sky before it struck a high tower, erupted into flames, and crashed to the ground.
8
8
8
8
8
The Robinson R44 helicopter exploded when it hit the ground as a large fireball emerged and shot into the air.
No one on the ground was injured.
Houston police chief J. Noe Diaz confirmed four people, including a child, were onboard the craft when it crashed.
The ages of the victims and their relationships have not been disclosed by police.
Read more on US news
CCTV footage from a local's home shows the chopper hit the tower at 7:51 pm, with officials saying it had taken off from Ellington Field.
Diaz said at a news conference the helicopter had either hit the tower directly or a cable connected to it.
The tower was also destroyed, with snaps showing it collapsed on the ground, but no nearby homes were damaged, according to the Houston Fire Department.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire called the incident a "tragic event."
Most read in The US Sun
"It's a tragic loss of life. We are fortunate that it wasn't worse, just in terms that there was a butane tank, a gas tank, near the crash scene.
"It is surrounded by residents, and that’s where we were very fortunate that it didn’t topple in one direction or another.
Terrifying vid shows moment helicopter crashes & kills 2 during test flight
"The fireball was pretty much isolated."
GIANT FIREBALL
Nearby residents had faced power outages due to the crash.
"My buddy behind me told me to look up in the sky," Manuel Arciniega, who was in the area when the crash happened, told NBC affiliate .
"And I just saw the cell tower crumbling down, they said a helicopter hit it."
Eric Chaney, 30, who lives near the crash site, said the tower "fell directly straight down and didn’t collide or impact with any of the houses surrounding the perimeter," according to .
Sam Elsaadi recalled having dinner on the patio of a restaurant when he heard "firework" sounds and saw the tower crumble.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
"I heard something like fireworks, and I looked up, and I saw the tower flame out and completely crumble," Elsaadi told the outlet.
The FAA, NTSB, and DPS will investigate the crash over the course of the next several days.
8
8
8
Topics