A helicopter that crashed into a radio tower in Houston on Sunday, killing all four people on board and sparking a fire below, was in the middle of a flight when the accident occurred, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday.
The Robinson R44 helicopter struck the tower and crashed around 7:51 p.m. Sunday, according to the NTSB, which is investigating. Officials did not release the ages or names of the dead Monday. One of them was a child, Houston’s police chief said Sunday.
“Our condolences go out to the family and friends of those lost,” NTSB investigator Brian Rutt said Monday. He said the wreck is a “complex situation” and officials are working diligently.
The helicopter took off from Ellington Airport in Houston, the NTSB said.
The plane struck a “tacking tower,” a structure to which cables are attached to the ground, a spokesman for communications company SBA Communications said.
SBA Communications acquired the tower on Sept. 4 and there was a “notice to air missions,” known as NOTAM, to alert pilots, the spokesperson said.
The crash also caused the tower to collapse. The rubble covers about 10 acres, Houston police Lt. Jonathan French said at a news conference Monday.
Some vehicles on the ground were damaged, but there were no reports of anyone on the ground being injured, French said. He said police and area residents were grateful more people had not been injured or killed.
“This was a terrible tragedy, but obviously it could have been much worse,” he said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
