A helicopter burst into flames after crashing into a radio tower in Houston, an event captured on surveillance video.

 

The Houston Fire Department reported that there were no signs of survivors after the helicopter, which was carrying four people, including a child, fell from the sky on Sunday night.

 

"A Robinson R44 helicopter struck a radio tower and crashed in Houston, Texas, around 8 p.m. local time on Sunday, October 20. Four people were on board," the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported. "The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate."

 

A fireball was seen lighting up the night sky at the moment the helicopter collided with the radio tower. Firefighters stated that a fire covering two to three blocks began in a grassy field after the tower collapsed. No other structures on the ground were affected by the crash.

 

Busy streets in Second Ward as police & fire 🔥 work helicopter crash #houston pic.twitter.com/1Th7MRLQ0N

— Houston Air Watch 🚁🛰️ (@houstonairw) October 21, 2024

 

The tower "is surrounded by residents, and we were very fortunate that it didn’t topple in one direction or another," Whitmire also said. "The fireball was fairly isolated."

 

The identities of the victims have not yet been confirmed, but one of them is a child, according to the police.

 

Some residents told The New York Times that the crash shook their homes, describing it as feeling like an earthquake. One resident mentioned that an explosion followed, and the lights in his home briefly flickered.

 

You can also see its version in Spanish: Un helicóptero se estrella contra una torre de radio: Houston Tx

 

City council member Mario Castillo wrote on X that a "private touring helicopter" was involved in the accident. Information from Fox News Digital.

 

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.

— Mario Castillo (@MarioforHouston) October 21, 2024