UVALDE — A helicopter crash outside Uvalde County claimed the lives of two newlyweds.
The Houstonian, the student-run newspaper of Sam Houston State University, confirmed that Will Byler and Bailee Ackerman Byler were killed when the helicopter departing their wedding crashed north of Uvalde on November 4.
Ten days later, the National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report.
Investigators say the chopper crashed into a hill about 100 feet below the top. The helicopter had collided with the side of a 1,450 ft hill, located about 5 miles east of the ranch the helicopter had departed from, and about 71 miles west of the San Antonio International airport.
First responders had attached ropes to the wreckage, to keep it from rolling down the steep hillside. The hillside also prevented a detailed examination of the wreckage on site, the report said.
The automated weather observation facility located at the Garner Field Airport, Uvalde, Texas, located about 13 miles southeast of the accident site, recorded wind at 030 degrees at 6 knots, 10 miles visibility, a clear sky, a temperature of 63 degrees at around the time of the crash.
It is with deepest sadness that we announce the tragic passing of two Bearkats Will Byler (Agriculture Engineering...
Several agencies, including Texas DPS troopers, Game Wardens, Border Patrol, and the Uvalde Fire Department aided police in their search for the aircraft. Police say that shortly after sunrise Sunday, the accident was located.
The NTSB says the incident involved a Bell 206B—a two-bladed, twin-engine chopper.
A spokesperson for the Uvalde Fire Department confirmed to KENS 5 that multiple people died in the crash.