4 people aboard a helicopter were eliminated when it crashed into a radio tower in Houston and burst into flames, officials said.The helicopter went down prior to 8 p.m.
Sunday in a neighborhood east of downtown after taking off from Ellington Field, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) away, Mayor John Whitmire said at a news conference.
He didn $'t know the flight $'s destination.Officials stated no one on the ground was injured, and no nearby homes were harmed, though some cars were.
The crash triggered a fire that burned about 100 to 200 lawns (91 to 183 meters) of lawn, authorities said.Firefighters at a close-by station heard the crash and reacted, Whitmire stated.
He said it was a $ horrible mishap scene $ and that the tower and helicopter were ruined.
Some location citizens lost power, Whitmire said.
$ It is surrounded by houses and that $'s where we were extremely lucky $ that it didn $'t fall in one direction or another, $ Whitmire said.
$ And the fireball pretty much was isolated.
$ The National Transportation Safety Board stated in a statement that it is investigating the crash of the Robinson R44 II helicopter, which initial info shows was operating as an air tour flight.
The NTSB said the helicopter crashed into a radio tower $ under unknown scenarios, $ leading to a fire.Officials said the four individuals aboard the helicopter consisted of a child however the identities of the victims and their ages have not yet been released.Police and fire officials have advised residents near the crash website to call 911 if they find anything on their residential or commercial property that could assist in their investigation.Police officers on Monday were searching an area of around 4 acres (1.6 hectares) for debris from the crash, said Lt.
Jonathan French.NTSB investigators, who arrived on website Monday, started collecting proof and will return Tuesday to continue that work, said Brian Rutt, an air safety detective for the firm.
The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating.Source: AP-- Agencies