HPD officer Jason Knox remembered 1 year after helicopter crash

Sunday, May 2, 2021
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A year has passed since veteran HPD officer Jason Knox was lost when the police helicopter he was aboard crashed into a north Houston apartment building.

Knox was the tactical flight officer on board HPD's 369E MD helicopter along with pilot Chase Cormier searching for a possible drowning victim in Greens Bayou when the aircraft went down in the early morning hours of May 2, 2020.



Cormier survived the crash, but was critically injured. Witnesses credited his skills as a pilot for missing occupied apartment units when the helicopter made impact.

"Whoever was flying the helicopter did a pretty good job of avoiding killing anybody," apartment complex owner Steve Moore said at the time. "The helicopter actually hit the office and ended up partly in the pool."

A close friend of Cormier's told ABC13 in 2020 that, after surgery, he asked to make sure his partner was okay and to thank everyone who worked to save him.

Cormier later medically retired from the department, according to a profile on Facebook.

A year later, Knox is still remembered for his love of family, cars and the Houston Police Department.

He was an eight-year veteran of HPD. He joined the HPD Air and Marine Division in January 2019. Prior to that, Knox served as a Harris County deputy constable.

The NTSB has not released a final report on the crash investigation.

The video above is from Knox's May 2020 funeral.

REMEMBERING JASON KNOX: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner speaks at funeral


REMEMBERING JASON KNOX: HPD Chief Art Acevedo speaks at funeral


REMEMBERING JASON KNOX: Colleagues speak at HPD officer's funeral


REMEMBERING JASON KNOX: Funeral services at Houston's First Baptist Church
REMEMBERING JASON KNOX: Funeral services at Houston's First Baptist Church


SEE MORE:
Houston remembers Officer Jason Knox
Police Union mourns HPD officer killed in helicopter crash
Audio of dispatchers, officers on ground discussing HPD chopper crash
Witnesses describe HPD helicopter moments before crash
Apartment complex owner describes HPD chopper crash
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