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NTSB releases preliminary report on Houston helicopter crash that killed 4

According to the report, the chopper's pilot was in contact when air traffic control when communication abruptly ended.

HOUSTON — A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board of the Oct. 20 helicopter crash that killed four people reveals light beacons on the radio tower were likely not an issue as they were functioning at the time.

The NTSB released the report nearly two weeks after the crash in Houston's East End.

The crash happened just before 8 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20, when the helicopter collided into a radio tower. 

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences identified the victims as Samantha Grandbouche — the pilot -- and three members of a family including Julio Cesar Lerma, Marie Alonso and Dylon Lerma, a child.

The preliminary report said the helicopter took off from Ellington Airport and proceeded north towards downtown Houston. The aircraft was flying at about 900 feet and the pilot communicated with air traffic control to request the 'downtown loop.'

Minutes later, air traffic control issued a traffic advisory for another helicopter in the area.

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"The accident pilot acknowledged traffic in sight on her [Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast]," the report said. "The controller requested the accident pilot to maintain visual separation from the traffic, and the pilot was reading the instructions when the radio transmission abruptly ended."

No communication was received by the helicopter after that, the report said.

A screenshot photo of surveillance video shared by the NTSB in their report shows a new angle of the incident and confirms the middle and top light beacons of the tower were functioning at the time of the crash.

Four people were killed in the crash on October 20.

"Surveillance videos, several witnesses, and helicopter structure embedded in the radio tower indicated that the helicopter impacted the tower about 100 feet from the top of the 1,003 feet radio tower," the report said.

According to the NTSB, the tower had lights at 1,000 feet, 639 feet and 340 feet.

The report also mentions a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) was issued for the radio tower — a NOTAM is a notice that pilots of aircrafts must check before takeoff.

The radio tower owner told the NTSB the NOTAM was issued due to the recent change in ownership and that there were no outages with the tower's flashing beacons.

While preliminary reports are released within 30 days of an incident, the NTSB says it may take 12 to 24 months for an investigation to be fully completed.

The full report may be found here: https://t.co/mbEPMa5DUW

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