HOUSTON – New surveillance video has surfaced showing the moments leading up to the deadly helicopter crash in Houston’s Second Ward, where four people, including a child, lost their lives.
The footage, provided by a neighbor, reveals two white blinking lights on the radio tower that the helicopter struck Sunday night near 300 North Ennis St.
Aviation Attorney Justin Green is not affiliated with this case but spoke with KPRC 2 about the video. He said the surveillance is a key piece of evidence for NTSB.
“I don’t see any attempts to evade the tower, which suggests the pilot did not see the tower. So it looks like, unfortunately, that that the route of flight was directly into the tower,” said Green.
Days since the deadly crash, there has been concerns on if the tower was properly lit.
“The pilot is not going to rely on the light being on because, first of all, it’s NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) out. So, the pilot should expect that there’s no light in the tower. But in the video that you’ve seen, you see two blinking lights on the tower. The tower may ultimately be implicated as a contributing factor. But the primary factor is most likely a pilot error issue or an operations issue that the flight operations didn’t properly plan the routes that the pilots are supposed to fly,” said Green.
Clean up continued on Tuesday where the NTSB, FAA, and firefighters combed through the wreckage from the radio tower and helicopter.
“Our members are using cutting torches and saws to cut the tower into manageable pieces so that we can assist them with recovery,” said HFD District Chief, Ron Bozarth.
KPRC 2 spoke with a witness named Chad who was nearby when he saw the crash.
“We saw and heard the explosion. The helicopter went straight down the tower,” said Chad.
KPRC 2 asked Chad why he chose to run towards the burning crash.
“Because I’m a Texan And that’s what I do. That’s why I work rescue. There’s something going wrong. Run towards it,” said Chad.
According to FlightAware, the chopper was traveling 108 miles per hour at 600 feet in the air when it crashed into the 1000-foot radio tower.
Records show the helicopter traveled from Ellington Airport. It was in the air for nine minutes before it crashed. KPRC 2 learned the chopper made the same trip two times before the crash. Green said it could take a couple years for NTSB to finish its investigation.
“The National Transportation Safety Board does a very thorough investigation, which is going to include looking at the helicopter, looking at the maintenance history, looking at the pilots. I think that video is is probably going to be a key piece of of of its investigation,” said Green.
NTSB sent an updated statement on Tuesday with the following information:
Today NTSB investigators obtained the pilot’s records for review and work started to recover the wreckage for further examination. Tomorrow, they will visit the air tour company to learn more about their operations. The next update will be the preliminary report within 30 days; it can be accessed by searching our investigations databasewith the NTSB number CEN25FA019. It will also be posted on NTSB Newsroom Twitter .
What happened?
The Houston Fire Department said the crash happened at about 7:54 p.m. on the city’s East End.
According to Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz, the helicopter had taken off from Ellington Field and was headed to an unknown destination when it crashed.
HPD confirmed Monday morning that 4 people, including a child, are believed to have been on the helicopter that crashed.
“We don’t know the age ranges yet, but that we are pretty sure,” Diaz said.
Authorities say there may be pieces of the helicopter that people find when the sun comes up in the morning. They are asking anyone who may come across these pieces not to touch it and to contact police or firefighters so they can come retrieve it.
No one on the ground was hurt from the crash and the collapse of the tower which was hit. No structures on the ground other than the tower were damaged.
The FAA, NTSB, DPS, HPD, and HFD are all investigating the crash.