Houston crash: Police officer dies after helicopter smashes into apartment complex

Pilot in critical condition following 2am incident

A police officer has died after a helicopter crashed into an apartment complex in Houston, Texas (KHOU)

A police officer has died after a force helicopter crashed into an apartment complex in the US city of Houston.

The pilot - also a police officer - remains in a critical condition following the incident at 2am local time on Saturday morning.

The pair were in the air investigating reports of a body floating in a bayou when they crashed into the building near the intersection of city’s Imperial Valley Drive and Greens Road.

A police officer has died after a helicopter crashed into an apartment complex in Houston, Texas (KHOU)

Joe Gamaldi, national vice president for the Fraternal Order of Police in the Texas city, confirmed the report in a tweet.

“Please keep two of our officers in your thoughts and prayers,” he wrote. “They have been involved in an on duty helicopter crash on the Northside of town. Currently being life flighted to the hospital, unknown condition at this time.”

Speaking at the scene at 4am, Police Chief Art Acevedo said the pilot had managed to crash the helicopter in a way that would avoid any people in the apartment building.

But he added: "We don't have any idea why it went down at this time."

He said the call reporting the body had probably been bogus.