Days before it was struck by a chopper on Sunday, a Houston radio tower’s lighting apparently failed, resulting in a fiery explosion that destroyed the tower and sent debris all over the area, killing four people.According to open-source data and investigating officials, the chopper was flying at 600 feet as part of an air tour flight when it crashed into the 1,000-foot-tall tower shortly before 8 p.m. on Sunday. Last Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration sent out a notice to pilots that the tower’s lights were “unserviceable” until the end of the month.
FAA guidance released in 2020 states that towers more than 200 feet above the ground “should normally be marked and/or lighted” and that any failure in tower lights “should be corrected as soon as possible.”
Helicopters, which usually fly at low altitudes and can be particularly challenging for pilots to notice at night, are particularly vulnerable to towers and guy wires. At least one flashing light can be seen at the very top of the tower in the accident video, but the rest of the tower does not appear to be illuminated.
Federal officials and Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz said the crash killed all four passengers on board the privately owned Robinson R44 helicopter, including a youngster. The FAA reported the deaths of the pilot and three passengers.
Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board are anticipated at the crash site on Monday to inspect and retrieve the aircraft, the agency told CNN, even though the reason of the accident is still unknown.
During a news conference on Monday, Lt. Jonathan French stated that the Houston Police Department’s motor crimes division is creating a three-dimensional scan of a 4-acre area to share with the FAA and the NTSB as law enforcement authorities search the area for debris. According to Brian Rutt, an NTSB aviation safety investigator, more investigators will be sent to the area Monday night and will stay there for at least another day.
The plane took off from Ellington Airport, located roughly 17 miles south of the scene of the collision. According to Rutt, the helicopter lacked a flight data recorder, which is not necessary.
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According to the FAA, the helicopter is registered to Porter Equipment Holdings LLC of Magnolia, Texas, and the flight was classified as “sight seeing.” Surveillance footage from a neighboring residence that shows what looks to be the helicopter flying in the direction of the tower before exploding upon impact and lighting up the sky.
A horrifying phone video of the incident was taken and then posted to X. As the chopper hits the ground and forms a huge cloud, the video shows the radio tower falling in a blast of orange. Debris and flames rained down from the remaining tower sections.According to reports, one passenger on X heard the crash as it occurred. “The noise was [loud] and quick,” they wrote. From my living room, I heard it. I’m insane over on the other side of the river.
