KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
July 13, 2019
By Jennifer Miko
The pilot of a small single-engine plane died when the aircraft crashed into a pool storage building at the Mason Creek Community Center this morning around 10:30am.
Photo: Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office
69-year-old Noshir Medhora of Houston, piloted the plane in this morning's crash in the Nottingham Country neighborhood. Deputies from Harris County Precinct 5 and other emergency response teams arrived at the scene of the crash near the intersection of Kingsland Boulevard and Houghton Road.
The plane crashed into the pool maintenance building at the Mason Creek Community Center. Flaming debris from the Cessna 172 single-engine plane was discovered in one of the pools on the property.
Lietunenant Simon VanDyk, Harris Country ESD 48, said the building housed pool cleaning chemicals and a hazardous materials unit was taking measures to clear the area.
Photo: Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office
Medhora, the pilot, was the only person on board the plane, and the only fatality. Constable Ted Heap said no one was in the pool at the time of the crash, which was scheduled to open at 11:00am. People were in the nearby clubhouse preparing for a wedding and reported no injuries.
Heap said Medhora took off from West Houston Airport. Residents in the Nottingham Country neighborhood said they heard the incoming plane and the crash.
The cause of the plane crash is unknown at this time. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) are handling the investigation.
Medhora lived in Bombay, India before coming to the U.S. in 1973. He studied mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and worked as a mechanical engineer at Igloo Corp., Mustang Engineering, Bechtel Engineering, and Exxon Mobil Corp. He is survived by his wife and two adult children.
The Mason Creek Community Center and pool are closed for now. Although Precinct 5 deputies report there is no danger to homes in the surrounding neighborhood, they ask that people avoid the area while debris is being cleaned up.