FATAL HELICOPTER CRASH, LIVINGSTON TEXAS, 12/30/21...

Helicopter Crash Takes Life of Livingston Man, LIVINGSTON, December 30, 2021 - At approximately 12:50 pm on December 30, 2021, a local man and his two sons were passengers in a helicopter flying over some property off Galloway Lane (a few miles south of Livingston off US-146). The men (George Daniel King, 54, of Livingston, and his two sons, Braydon and Brockton) were reportedly looking at some property. The helicopter was a 2001 Bell Model 206B, and piloted by John Randolph Martin, 73, of Montgomery County. Preliminarily, the helicopter is believed to have had a mechanical failure causing it to plunge back to earth. The helicopter struck a tree as it was coming down. Sadly, George King was killed during impact. His two sons were both transported by ambulance to CHI Livingston Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The pilot, John Martin, was flown from a nearby landing zone to Houston in critical condition. Justice of the Peace, Jamie Richardson, performed an inquest at the scene. Troopers Donny Akers and Kevin Burman with the Texas Highway Patrol initiated a preliminary investigation that will be handed over the Federal Aviation Administration for further investigation. A first-call car from Cochran Funeral Home transported King from the scene.