A look at other helicopter crashes in the US this year

While helicopter travel is statistically safer than riding in a car, there have been at least two major deadly chopper crashes in just the past few months.

The deadly Houston police helicopter crash may bring up memories of the helicopter crash from January where NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna died in, along with seven other people.

SEE RELATED STORY: WNBA honors Kobe Bryant's daughter Gianna, teens killed in helicopter crash with honorary draft picks

Bryant, the thirteen-year-old and seven others died when the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crashed outside of Calabasas, California.

The chopper ended up hitting a mountain. The final audio message from the pilot indicated he was climbing to avoid a cloud layer just before impact.

One month prior, in December 2019, all seven people on a tourist helicopter in Hawaii died when it crashed.

Four of the victims were adults, including the pilot. The three others were minors.

The aircraft disappeared from view as it climbed above the island of Kauai on a sight-seeing tour.

In each of these incidents, aviation authorities like the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration comb through the wreckage to gather evidence. Their goal is to find out whether mechanical issues, weather or an unknown factor played a role in the deadly crashes.

SEE RELATED STORY: HPD helicopter crash investigated as possible homicide