( CNN ) -- Three crew members died in a fiery Navy helicopter crash near Corpus Christi , Texas , a military spokesman said , and a fourth is hospitalized in critical condition . The Navy MH-53 Sea Dragon helicopter crashed in a field about four miles south of Corpus Christi on Wednesday just after 8 p.m . It caught fire after impact , said Ed Mackley with the Naval Mine and Anti-Submarine Warfare Command . Copter wreckage came to rest near guide wires of a 1,000-foot TV tower for Public Broadcasting System affiliate KEDT , according to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times . Authorities refused to tell The Associate Press whether the Sea Dragon collided with the tower . A witness reported a huge fireball and booming noise shortly after the crash . Rescuers found bodies of three crew members about 2:30 a.m. on Thursday , Mackley said . Watch smoke and flames after the crash » . Witness J.D . Batten told the Caller-Times he was walking on his property about two miles from the crash site when he heard a helicopter overhead . `` I saw a red-glowing fireball shoot hundreds of feet up into the air , '' he told the paper . `` I heard a giant boom a second later . It was then dead silent , and I could n't hear the helicopter anymore . '' A fourth crew member was in critical condition at Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital in Corpus Christi , Texas , Mackley said . `` Our hearts and prayers go out to the families , '' Mackley said . Authorities did not immediately identify the victims . The aircraft was part of Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 out of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi , a military spokesman told the Caller-Times . The Caller-Times quoted a Navy spokesman who said the aircraft was on a training mission and the crash occurred during heavy fog . A military investigation will try to determine what caused the crash , Mackley said . First responders to the crash site were hindered by downed power lines , according to the Caller-Times report . The paper said firefighters and a busload of military personnel searched the muddy area surrounding the crash site for hours . E-mail to a friend .
2011 : Chopper reportedly went down near 1,000-foot TV tower . Crash took place during heavy fog , reports Caller - Times newspaper . Fourth died in critical condition at local hospital , report says . Three died when MH-53 ##D Dragon crashed in field near Corpus Christi .