The owners of the radio tower hit by a helicopter near downtown Houston Sunday night have released a statement on the deadly crash.
In a news conference Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed the helicopter didn't have a flight data recorder and wasn't required to.
Four people onboard the R44 aircraft, including a child, died in the crash. Their identities have not been released. Family of the victims told KHOU 11 News they're in shock and still trying to process what happened to their loved ones.
According to a company spokesperson, SBA Communications recently acquired the tower. It was previously owned in part by Univision and sold in a transaction with several other towers in September.
"We are in the process of cooperating with authorities on a full investigation. This is a tragic incident, and we ask everyone to please keep the deceased and their families in their thoughts and prayers," the company said in the statement.
An FAA notice issued on Oct. 17 references a potential obstruction to lights on the radio tower. In surveillance video that captures the crash, it appears there was at least one flashing light on the tower that was operational.
An SBA spokesperson said the company had no knowledge of any issues with the tower’s lighting.
They added that after SBA acquired the tower, company leaders ensured a NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) was in place for this site in order to "exercise caution during the change of ownership while we integrate the site into our Network Operations Center (NOC) for continuous 24/7 monitoring pursuant to FAA and FCC regulations."
In air traffic control audio transmissions obtained by KHOU 11 News, you can hear the moment someone inside the small aircraft makes initial contact with air traffic controllers at Hobby Tower. In the transmissions, you hear the helicopter pilot ask the tower to fly at 600 feet near downtown.
MYSTUDIO HTX security camera caught the moment a helicopter crashed into a radio tower in Houston's Second Ward, East End at 7:51:19 PM. #helicopter #helicoptercrash #houston #breaking #breakingnews #houston #secondward #mystudiohtx #jaymarroquin @KHOU @abc13houston @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/rap61Xr0XN
— Jay Marroquin (@JayMarroquin) October 21, 2024
That 600 feet altitude is significantly lower than the tower the helicopter would eventually crash into. The tower stood at 999 feet above ground, according to FCC records.
The FCC identified the radio stations that operated from the tower as:
- KLTN(FM), Houston, TX, 102.9 MHz
- KAMA-FM, Deer Park, TX, 104.9 MHz
- KOVE-FM, Galveston, TX, 106.5 MHz
- KCOH(AM), Houston, TX, 1230 kHz
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