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 (NTSB).
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.”…