Tower Owner Issues Statement on Houston Crash - Radio World

NOTAM was filed “as part of our standard process for newly acquired sites”

By RW Staff

SBA Communications, the owner of the tower that was struck by a helicopter in Houston on Sunday evening, issued the following statement on Monday afternoon. It was sent by spokesperson Lynne Hopkins:

Late in the evening on Sunday, October 20, 2024, we were made aware of a tragic incident that occurred at one of our newly acquired tower sites in the Houston area.

Our understanding is that a guyed tower was struck by a private helicopter, resulting in the death of four individuals who were on-board.

We are in the process of cooperating with authorities on a full investigation. This is a tragic incident, and we ask everyone to please keep the deceased and their families in their thoughts and prayers.

While reviewing the coverage of the event, we have noticed that there has unfortunately been some incomplete and/or inaccurate information provided.

We hope that what is provided below, which addresses a primary topic of discussion, will provide clarity and correction to some of these inaccuracies.

Questions have been raised regarding the filing of a NOTAM for the cell [sic] tower in Houston. We would like to provide a clear perspective of what this entails.

NOTAMs (Notice to Air Missions) with the FAA are to inform pilots of work notices, potential hazards or changes that may impact their flight. These types of notifications are to provide pilots information and direction to be cautious of a specific location and may be filed for a variety of reasons.

This specific site was recently acquired by SBA on Sept. 6, 2024. As part of our standard process for newly acquired sites, SBA ensured a NOTAM was in place for this site in order to exercise caution during the change of ownership while we integrate the site into our Network Operations Center (NOC) for continuous 24/7 monitoring pursuant to FAA and FCC regulations.

As this is an ongoing investigation led by federal officials, we are limited in the information we can disclose at this time. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.

RW Staff

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Tags ⋅ SBA Communications