Texas veterinarian, father of 1, Tyson Wallis killed in helicopter crash

ROWLETT, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A Texas father was one of two people killed while flying a Robinson R-44 helicopter as a student pilot in Rowlett on Mar. 25. Tyson Wayne Wallis, 42, of Pilot Point died in the crash.

Witnesses told investigators the helicopter broke into several pieces as it fell to the ground.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators confirmed that the certified flying instructor also died in the crash, but have not released her name.

A large piece of the helicopter landed on the roof of a nearby storage unit, which appeared to be the helicopter's tail section. Witnesses said they heard a loud bang, and when they looked up, they saw the helicopter spiraling to the ground and that its tail section had already come off.

Fabio Jelezoglo said he and his son saw it all happen. "We heard just a pop and we looked up and all I saw was the helicopter coming down completely out of control. The tail was off. It was hard knowing there was a person inside. It's sad."

It caught on fire when it hit the ground. Witnesses said they ran over to help, tried to pull Wallis and the instructor out, and put the flames out, but the fire was too intense, so firefighters had to extinguish the flames.

A truck driver who had parked alongside a side street, was ten feet away from where the helicopter landed.

John Rangel, who heard the crash, said his heart is with the Wallis family.  "Beautiful day to get out. They think they're going to have a nice ride on a helicopter and suddenly it ends tragically like that. It's sad."

Wallis is survived by his wife Kristen and their daughter.