x
Breaking News
More () »

2 pilots killed in fiery helicopter crash, officials say

Two people were killed when a small helicopter crash in Willamson County near Granger on Aug. 21, 2018.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — An American pilot and a Jordanian co-pilot were killed in a helicopter crashed Tuesday in Williamson County, officials said.

Michael Hawley, 58, of Dothan, Alabama and Ahmed Khawaldeh, 27, from Amman, Jordan were identified as the victims of the crash, Texas Highway Patrol officials said. Jordanian officials said in a statement that Khawaldeh was a first lieutenant in the military who came to Texas for training.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Texas Department of Public Safety have not identified the victims of the crash and have not confirmed if the helicopter mentioned in the Jordan military's statement is the same one that went down Tuesday afternoon.

The crash was reported around 12:45 p.m. on County Road 346 near Granger.

According Patricia Gutierrez with the Williamson County Sheriff's Office, the Hughes H369FF had taken off around 12:15 p.m. from the Georgetown Municipal Airport.

Officials said the helicopter went down about 15 miles east of the airport, hit power lines, crashed into a field and burst into flames.

First responders were initially unable to get close to craft because a power line that was attached to the helicopter was on fire, Gutierrez said.

Officials had to make sure the power was off before they could approach the plane, according to Gutierrez.

Rescuers found two people, who have not yet been identified, dead at the scene.

Phillip Wagner, who has lived in the area near CR 389 for 14 years, told our sister station KVUE he was in his house, heard sirens and came outside to see what had happened.

"Saw big, black billowing smoke," Wagner said. "Pretty much figured it was probably -- I thought it was an airplane. We have a lot of air traffic around here, people looking at the lake. Sometimes stunt pilots are out here practicing, doing their loop-de-loops and that kind of stuff. I just assumed it was a plane that went down.”

It is unclear how many people were on board the helicopter or where the craft was headed.

FAA investigators were called to the crash site and the National Transportation Safety Board was notified, officials said.

The NTSB will lead the investigation, according to officials.

Before You Leave, Check This Out