HOUSTON – Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo held a ceremony Wednesday to dedicate the department’s newest helicopter to fallen officer Jason Knox.
Knox was killed when an HPD helicopter(75 Fox) crashed in an apartment complex in north Houston on May 2, 2020. When the crash happened, Acevedo identified the 35-year-old as the tactical flight officer involved in the crash and later died at the hospital.
Knox was with Senior Police Officer Chase Cormier, who also suffered catastrophic injuries in the crash.
The H125 Airbus incorporates Officer Knox’s badge number of 2374 into its registration number, which is N2374F. The fuselage also features a vintage HPD blue stripe as a nod to Knox’s passion for the department’s history.
“It’s going to have multi-mission capabilities,” said Acevedo. “We not only have to fight violent crime and property crime, but the helicopter will assist with homeland security, search and rescue, and firefighting.”
The acquisition of the H125 Airbus is a first for HPD, which currently uses six MD 500E helicopters- mostly as patrol aircraft. One Bell 412 helicopter (which can be used for search and rescue operations) and three Sikorsky S-300C/Schweizer 269C helicopters (used strictly for training) round out the HPD air fleet.
The H125 Airbus, purchased from Davenport Aviation, Inc., was funded through a $7.5 million Texas Department of Public Safety grant.
“We’ve got the right bird, with the right capabilities, and I’m really glad our first one gives us the opportunity to honor a great man. Jason will be sorely missed,” Acevedo said.
Watch the full news conference in the video player above.