4 dead, including a child, after helicopter crashes into Houston radio tower: Police

Four people, including a child, were killed when a helicopter crashed into a radio tower in Houston on Sunday, officials said.

The crash happened just before 8 p.m. when a private aircraft struck a radio tower in Houston's Second Ward, Houston police said.

The Harris County Medical Examiner's office confirmed on Thursday the identities of those who died in the crash. They were Samantha Grandbouche, the pilot; Julio Lerma, a passenger, who goes by the name Cesar; Dylon Lerma, a passenger, one of Cesar's sons; and Marie Alonso, a passenger, who was Cesar's ex-wife.

No homes or structures were impacted except for the radio tower, police said, but a fire that erupted from the crash spanned two to three blocks.

Houston Fire Department officials extinguished the fire after the crash.

The helicopter was operating as an air tour flight, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. While all four people onboard were killed, no one on the ground was injured, officials said.

At a press conference on Monday, Brian Rutt, an air safety investigator with the NTSB, confirmed that the helicopter, with the tail number N881KE, did not have a flight data recorder. He said that it was not required to have one, and the NTSB is searching for any other devices that might have that data.

Houston police Lt. Jonathan French said Monday he was thankful no one on the ground was hurt.

"We want to keep the families and our victims in mind right now. This is a horrible tragedy," he said, adding, "This could have been much worse."

An investigation by Houston authorities, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration is ongoing.

Rutt said that they have received debris from local residents and urged others to contact local law enforcement if they have any other information to share.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation.