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Officials said no one on the ground was injured, and no nearby
homes were damaged, though some vehicles were. The crash sparked
a fire that burned about 100 to 200 yards (91 to 183 meters) of
grass, officials said.
Firefighters at a nearby station heard the crash and responded,
Whitmire said. He said it was a “terrible accident scene” and
that the tower and helicopter were destroyed. Some area
residents lost power, Whitmire said.
“It is surrounded by residences and that’s where we were very
fortunate — that it didn’t topple in one direction or another,”
Whitmire said. “And the fireball pretty much was isolated.”
The National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement
that it is investigating the crash of the Robinson R44 II
helicopter, which preliminary information shows was operating as
an air tour flight. The NTSB said the helicopter crashed into a
radio tower “under unknown circumstances,” resulting in a fire.
Officials said the four people aboard the helicopter included a
child but the identities of the victims and their ages have not
yet been released.
Police and fire officials have urged residents near the crash
site to call 911 if they find anything on their property that
could help in their investigation.
Police officers on Monday were scouring an area of around 4
acres (1.6 hectares) for debris from the crash, said Lt.
Jonathan French.
NTSB investigators, who arrived on site Monday, started
collecting evidence and will return Tuesday to continue that
work, said Brian Rutt, an air safety investigator for the
agency. The Federal Aviation Administration is also
investigating.
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