Footage appears to show moment helicopter crash topples radio tower in Houston

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(NEXSTAR) – A surveillance camera mounted outside of a Houston photo studio appears to have captured the moment a helicopter crash toppled a radio tower on Sunday, killing four people.

The crash occurred east of downtown in Houston’s Second Ward just before 8 p.m., Mayor John Whitmire said at a news conference on Sunday night. The helicopter had taken off from Ellington Field about 15 miles away.

Footage from the surveillance camera shows an aircraft making contact with something in the distance just after 7:51 p.m., according to the timestamp. The video then shows a flash of light, a loud noise, and then another flash of light appearing to come from the ground. Footage shared by Nexstar’s KIAH also shows fiery debris at the site of the radio tower.

Firefighters at a nearby station heard the crash and responded, Whitmire said. Area residents were safe, but there was a “terrible accident scene” with multiple fatalities and the tower and helicopter were destroyed, according to the mayor. Some area residents also lost power.

The helicopter had four people on board, including a child, Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz said at the news conference.

As of Sunday night, it was unclear if the aircraft struck the radio tower or nearby cable.

“Right now, we don’t know the facts yet. Possibly both,” Chief Diaz said.

On Monday morning, Lt. Jonathan French of the Houston Police said the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are now leading the investigation. He also urged residents to flag a police officer if they find any debris that could be useful to the investigation.

He also said there had been no reports of anyone injured on the ground.

“The potential could have been much worse,” French said, adding that he was “thankful” that people living in the area were not harmed in the incident. “But we want to keep the families and our victims in mind right now. This is a horrible tragedy. But obviously it could have been much worse, and we’re thankful that it’s not.”

Officials with the NTSB would be sharing more details later on Monday, French said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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