REGIONAL: Private helicopter crashes in Rowlett

File / eExtra News

At approximately 11:27 Friday morning, a Robinson R44 Cadet helicopter crashed in Rowlett, Texas, in a field at the corner of Lakeview Parkway (SH66) and Grisham Lane.

The small helicopter caught fire on impact. Officials have so far confirmed one fatality.

The R44 is owned and operated by Sky Helicopters in Garland Texas. Using Flightradar 24 services, we observed that the helicopter had been performing flights throughout the morning around the Ralph M. Hall Rockwall Municipal Airport. The flight path shows the R44 leaving the airport at 11:12 a.m., following Lakeview Pkwy (SH66) west across Lake Ray Hubbard, toward Garland, where Sky Helicopters headquarters is located.

Around 11:26 a.m., the helicopter appears to have made a sharp turn and the tracking stops at 11:27 a.m. Witnesses describe the helicopter appearing to struggle, and possibly strike a power line, breaking the tail away from the R44 before it crashed into the field. No reports of injuries to anyone on the ground have been made.

The tail from the helicopter landed on top of a building.

The area of Lakeview Parkway just east of Dexham Road is shut down to traffic.  The Rowlett Police Department, Rowlett Fire Department, and Texas Department of Public Safety are investigating.

File / eExtra News