- Location: Houston, Texas
- Accident Number: CEN25FA019
- Date & Time: October 20, 2024, 19:51 Local
- Registration: N881KE
- Aircraft: Robinson R44
- Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
- Defining Event: Low altitude operation/event
- Injuries: 4 Fatal
- Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Business
https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/195349/pdf
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=195349
On October 20, 2024, about 1951 central daylight time, a Robinson R44 helicopter, N881KE, was destroyed when it impacted a radio tower near Houston, Texas. The pilot and three passengers sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 business/revenue sightseeing flight.
The pilot of the commercial air tour helicopter was conducting a night sightseeing flight under visual meteorological conditions. Shortly after departure, the pilot established communication with the Houston Hobby Airport air traffic control tower local controller and requested the “downtown loop.” The local controller identified the helicopter on radar, approved the request, and issued the current altimeter setting. Several minutes later, the controller issued a traffic advisory for another company air tour helicopter. The accident pilot reported that she observed the traffic on her ADS-B display but had not visually acquired it. The controller instructed the accident pilot to maintain visual separation from the traffic, and the pilot was reading back the instruction when her transmission abruptly ended. The helicopter then struck a 1,003-ft-tall radio tower about 100 ft below its top. The air traffic control operations supervisor looked out the air traffic control tower window and witnessed the accident. Video and photographic evidence showed that the tower's middle and top flashing beacons were operational at the time of the accident; the lower beacon was not visible in any available imagery.
The radio tower was depicted as an obstruction on applicable aeronautical charts and on the air traffic controller's radar display. Flight data showed that the helicopter maintained a straight flightpath toward the tower at an altitude below the top of the tower until impact.
An FAA safety review found that traffic volume at the time of the accident was light, with routine complexity, and identified no unusual factors that would have distracted the controller. FAA Order 7110.65, “Air Traffic Control,” paragraph 2-1-2, “Duty Priority,” requires controllers to give first priority to separating aircraft and issuing required safety alerts. Further, FAA Order 7110.65, paragraph 2-1-6, “Safety Alert,” requires a controller to issue a safety alert when the controller is aware that an aircraft is at an altitude that, in the controller's judgement, places it in unsafe proximity to terrain, obstructions, or other aircraft. The order further notes that “while a controller cannot see immediately the development of every situation where a safety alert must be issued, the controller must remain vigilant for such situations and issue a safety alert when the situation is recognized.”
Although the pilot remained responsible for maintaining clearance from terrain and obstructions while operating under visual flight rules, air traffic control (ATC) safety alert requirements applied once the controller was aware that an aircraft was at an altitude that, in the controller's judgment, placed it in unsafe proximity to an obstruction. The tower was depicted as an obstruction on the controller's radar display, and the helicopter's flight track proceeded toward the tower at an altitude below its top. Traffic volume was light, the controller's workload was routine, and the FAA safety review identified no unusual factors that would have prevented the controller from monitoring the helicopter's flightpath. Nevertheless, the controller did not issue a safety alert before the helicopter struck the tower.
- Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a lighted radio tower during a visual night flight. Contributing to the accident was the air traffic controller's failure to issue a safety alert notifying the pilot of the flight's unsafe proximity to the tower.
The pilot’s logbook contained an entry dated December 14, 2023, stating that she met the experience requirements of Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) 73, section 2(b)(ii)(A-D) for Robinson R44 helicopters.
According to company personnel, the pilot was hired in August 2024. A review of the pilot’s logbook showed the pilot’s first flight in a company helicopter occurred on September 23, 2024, and the last logbook entry was dated October 8, 2024. Investigators only obtained information about the pilot’s flight history with the company through interviews because, despite multiple requests, the company did not provide the pilot records that it reported were available.
Another company pilot trained the accident pilot to conduct local air tour flights. The training consisted of traffic pattern maneuvers and autorotations. During air tour route training by the company pilot, the accident pilot flew the helicopter from the left front seat while the company pilot occupied the right front seat and provided tour narration to the passengers. The training included discussions of operating near high-rise buildings and a 700-ft-tall lighted pole near the Houston aquarium. The company did not have a documented training program, nor was it required to have one under 14 CFR Part 91 regulations.
The pilot’s husband reported that she had worked consecutively for about the last nine days before the accident.
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