Crashed chopper had no black box
The Houston police helicopter that crashed over the weekend, killing a tactical flight officer and injuring the pilot, was not equipped with a flight data recorder, according to federal investigators.
Eric Weiss, spokesman for the National Transportation and Safety Board, said the helicopter — deemed airworthy in 2008 — did not have a so-called black box — such as the devices on commercial jetliners that record flight data and cockpit audio — that would help investigators discern what happened in the moments before the fatal crash on Saturday.
Investigators are waiting for a memory chip recovered from the helicopter’s heat-sensing camera to be sent to the NTSB laboratory in Washington D.C., Weiss said. The black-and-white camera combines with a mapping system
and can be used to detect heat sources, such as people, to help officers on the ground below.
“We don’t know what it will contain or whether it contains anything that happened inside the cockpit,” Weiss said.
Police Chief Art Acevedo temporarily grounded the HPD helicopter fleet in response to the fatal crash.
On Tuesday, the department declined to comment on the lack of a flight data recorder.
“The ongoing, multi-jurisdictional, and multi-disciplinary investigation continues and we will refrain from making further comments until the conclusion of the inquiries,” Acevedo said in a statement.
The crash happened around 2 a.m. Saturday as Officers Jason Knox and Chase Cormier, the pilot, wrapped up searching a bayou in Greenspoint following a report of a possible drowning. Cormier lost control of the aircraft and it careened into the side of an apartment complex clubhouse at 17050 Imperial Valley Drive.
Cormier survived the crash — and remains hospitalized — but Knox, an eight-year veteran of the department — was killed.
Gunfire was heard at the time of the crash, and after when Cormier was loaded into an ambulance, he said in a Facebook post. There was no damage to the tail rotor, Cormier continued.
Authorities have said there is so far no evidence that “hostile action” was a factor in the crash.
Flight recorders are not required on helicopters, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. In January, NTSB investigators said the lack of a black box hindered their investigation into the California helicopter crash that killed NBA star Kobe Bryant.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, NTSB investigators are waiting to inspect the wreckage. They are first reviewing data from the flight, such as maintenance and inspection records. A preliminary report on the crash is expected to be published within two weeks, Weiss said.
The cause and manner of Knox’s death is pending, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Public visitation for Knox is slated for 5-8 p.m. Friday, and a private funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday for family, friends, and those from first responder agencies who knew the officer. Both events will happen at Houston’s First Baptist Church at 7401 Katy Freeway.