March 26 (UPI) — Two people have died after a helicopter crashed to the ground and burst into flames in an empty lot in North Texas, local police said.
The crash happened around 11:30 a.m. Friday in Rowlett, located about 10 miles northeast of Dallas. The student pilot and a flight instructor aboard the aircraft both died, the Rowlett Police Department said.
Officials have not identified the two deceased.
The Dallas Morning News reported the wreckage fell into a small, empty lot near a shopping plaza.
Witnesses told WFAA-TV in Dallas that the Robinson R44 helicopter’s tail rotor appeared to break off as the aircraft fell to the ground. A witness captured part of the helicopter’s descent to the ground, evidence while will prove useful to investigators, experts said.
The news station cited the Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman law firm in Los Angeles, which said the helicopter make has a reputation for fatal crashes causing more than 700 deaths worldwide. A Los Angeles Times analysis of National Transportation Safety Board accident reports in 2018 found that the Robinson R44s were involved in more fatal crashes in the United States from 2006-16 than any other civilian helicopter.
The helicopter was owned by North Texas-based Sky Helicopters, which also contracts with WFAA to provide aerial news coverage.
The NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration was investigating the crash.
