A helicopter carrying two Ameren contract workers crashed into a barge on the Mississippi River near Alton Thursday, killing both people on board. It happened while the workers were repairing and replacing tower lighting and marker balls on power transmission lines which cross the river.
An eyewitness who was fishing nearby described the chain of events to KMOX as "difficult to watch." Adam Briggs says he had been watching the helicopter make several trips back and forth across the river.
"The last trip, he had a worker on the side of the helicopter with one of the 'high vis' balls," Briggs said. He said the helicopter paused at the high-tension line directly above the barge and it looked like they were attempting to place a new aerial marker ball. "I dropped my head for a couple of seconds and, and heard a loud explosion and looked up and saw the helicopter fall into the barge and... and burst into flames."
Briggs said his immediate reaction was disbelief. "I wasn't sure what I was seeing and hearing," he said. "I jumped up, realized what it was, immediately called 911, explained to them where I was and what I saw."
Ameren released a statement to KMOX expressing sorrow over the crash.
"We are saddened about today’s tragic incident. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the victims’ families and colleagues. We will cooperate with the investigation," an Ameren spokesperson said. The company confirms there are no power outages associated with the crash.
Corporal Dallas Thompson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed the deaths. "On arrival here, we did find that the helicopter was on top of the barge," Thompson said. "There was a fire on top of the barge, but it was put out very very quickly. At this point in time we know that there are two people that are confirmed deceased from the helicopter itself."
The helicopter reportedly clipped power lines before crashing. One of the power lines fell into the water. "We have since learned that that's not a live power line anymore, so there's no danger to the area here or anybody that's on the water," Thompson said.
The crash prompted a massive response from emergency crews on both sides of the river. "It was a joint command post put up here by the local fire department, St. Charles County Ambulance District, St. Charles County Police, and then the highway patrol all came together," Thompson explained. Madison County also responded to the scene.
Alton Fire Department Deputy Chief Matthew Fischer said the first emergency call about a helicopter down in the river came through at about 11:30 a.m. He says crews immediately got a boat into the water to assess the situation.
Briggs described a coordinated effort by tugboats already on the river.
"That initial tug that was in charge of those barges had a water tour going," he said. "And then I saw another tug from a smaller set of barges dislodge from his barge to take over for the big tug so he could actually move up to the crash site to douse water on that fire that was still going at that time [and] tried to extinguish it the best they could."
The FAA and the Coast Guard are investigating. The Mississippi River is currently shut down to all traffic in the immediate area of the crash.
@2025 Audacy St. Louis (KMOX). All rights reserved.