Helicopter pilot was talking with air traffic controller at the time of fatal Houston crash

HOUSTON -- A helicopter pilot was speaking with an air traffic controller in Houston when the aircraft crashed into a radio tower, killing all four people on board, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Pilot Samantha Grandbouche had contacted the controller after taking off on Oct. 20 for a sightseeing tour of the area and was told minutes later to maintain visual separation from another helicopter in the area, according to the report.

“The pilot was reading the instructions when the radio transmission abruptly ended,” the report said. “No further communications from the accident helicopter were received.”

The helicopter crashed into a 1,003-foot-tall (306-meter-tall) radio tower about 100 feet (30 meters) from its top and exploded as both the helicopter and tower fell to the ground with portions of the helicopter, including the fuselage, embedded in the tower, the report said.

Grandbouche died in the crash along with passengers Marie Alonso, her former husband Julio “Cesar” Lerma and their elementary-school-aged son Dylon Lerma.

Two of the tower's three light beacons could be seen flashing on surveillance video, while the third beacon was not visible, according to the report.

The owner of the tower, SBA Communications, told investigators there were no outages to the tower.

The company did not immediately return a message for comment Friday to The Associated Press.

SBA Communications previously said it is cooperating with investigators and a Notice to Air Missions, which informs pilots of potential flight hazards, had been filed, but declined further comment citing the ongoing investigation.

The NTSB report said the notice was filed Oct. 16 after the company acquired the tower in September.

The preliminary report does not provide a probable cause of the crash, which would come in the final report that is expected in 18 to 24 months.