The moment a helicopter burst into flames while crashing into a radio tower in Houston was captured on surveillance video as federal authorities on Monday are trying to determine the cause of the fatal wreck.
The Houston Fire Department told Fox News Digital that there were no signs of survivors after the helicopter carrying four individuals – including a child – plunged from the sky Sunday night.
“A Robinson R44 helicopter struck a radio tower and crashed in Houston, Texas, around 8 p.m. local time on Sunday, Oct. 20. Four people were on board,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.”
Houston Mayor John Whitmire said the impact generated a “loud explosion” and left a “terrible accident scene.”
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A fireball could be seen lighting up the night sky during the moment the helicopter collided with the radio tower.
Fire officials said a blaze the size of two to three blocks started in a grass field after the radio tower collapsed. No other structures on the ground were impacted by the crash.
The tower “is surrounded by residents and that’s where we were very fortunate that it didn’t topple in one direction or another,” Whitmire also said. “The fireball was pretty much isolated.”
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The identities of the victims are unclear, but one of them is a child, Fox26 Houston cited police as saying.
Some residents told The New York Times the crash shook their homes and said it felt like an earthquake. One resident said an explosion then occurred, and the lights in his home briefly flickered on and off.
City council member Mario Castillo wrote on X that a “private touring helicopter” was involved in the accident.
Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.
