2 dead following helicopter crash in Granger

A helicopter crash in Granger has killed two people.

The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office says it happened around 12:30 Tuesday afternoon. 

The FAA believe the Hughes H369FF helicopter hit a power line which caused it to crash. The crash happened about 15 miles east of the Georgetown airport which is where the FAA said it took off.

Those who live nearby said it didn't take long for emergency crews to flood the scene. 

"Anytime there's a loss of life it's sad. I feel for the family," said Philip Wagner who lives near the crash site. "I Walked out and I just saw a big black cloud and I could see the flames. I knew something had crashed," said Wagner. He said it didn’t take long for crews to arrive on scene, "less than 10 minutes, they were out here pretty quick."

According to the Williamson County Sheriff's Office they initially had trouble getting to the downed helicopter. 

"They weren't able to get to the helicopter for safety reasons because the power line was connected to the helicopter and it was on fire," said Patricia Gutierrez the Williamson County Sheriff's public information officer. 

The FAA said the helicopter recently left a nearby airport before crashing 30 minutes later.

"I can tell you that the helicopter is a local helicopter registered from Georgetown. We do believe it took off from Georgetown airport," said Gutierrez.

The helicopter was destroyed in the blaze. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation. 

It's still not known what led the helicopter to hit the power line.