On a seemingly ordinary Thursday morning, August 7, 2025, the serene waters of the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois, were shattered by a catastrophic event. A Hughes 369D helicopter, buzzing through the sky on a routine maintenance mission, collided with power lines and plummeted onto a barge, igniting a fireball that sent plumes of thick black smoke spiraling into the air. The crash, occurring just after 11 a.m., approximately 200 yards downstream from the Melvin Price Lock and Dam No. 26, claimed the lives of two contractors and sparked a massive emergency response that gripped the region.

The helicopter, operated by contractors for Ameren, the region’s power company, was engaged in a delicate task: installing large fiberglass marker balls on transmission lines to enhance their visibility for aircraft. These bright orange spheres, a common sight along power lines, are critical for safety, but the mission turned deadly when the aircraft struck a wire, careened out of control, and smashed into a docked barge below. The barge, laden with ethylene glycol—a chemical used in antifreeze and coolant—erupted in flames upon impact, though miraculously, no hazardous spills tainted the Mississippi’s waters, and no one was aboard the barge at the time.

Alton Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Fischer described the chaotic scene as first responders raced to the site. “We deployed our assets and got a boat on scene to get eyes on it,” he said, recalling the dense smoke that cloaked the river. The Alton Fire Department’s Marine 1 unit, alongside fire crews from East Alton, Wood River, and Missouri’s Spanish Lake Fire District, converged on the crash site, accessible only by water. A nearby towboat, the Donna H. Furlong, became an unexpected hero, its crew wielding the vessel’s water cannon to douse the flames within an hour, preventing a potentially worse disaster.

The two victims, both contractors working on behalf of Ameren, were identified as Cody Curry, an employee of Edwardsville-based J.F. Electric, and a subcontractor whose name has not yet been released pending family notification. J.F. Electric issued a somber statement: “It is with deep sadness that we confirm a serious incident occurred earlier today involving one of our employees and a subcontractor. Tragically, the incident resulted in the passing of both.” The company pledged full cooperation with authorities, emphasizing support for the victims’ families and colleagues, including on-site grief counseling.

Ameren echoed the sentiment, expressing profound sorrow. “We are saddened about today’s tragic incident,” their statement read. “Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the victims’ families and colleagues. We will cooperate with the investigation.” The emotional toll was palpable, with witnesses describing heart-wrenching scenes at the site. One individual, identified as a co-owner of Excel Helicopters LLC, the Missouri-based company that owned the aircraft (registered as N173AL), was seen overcome with grief near the large marker balls intended for the power lines.

The crash triggered a swift and coordinated response from multiple agencies. The U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) descended on the scene to investigate. The Coast Guard closed the Mississippi River to commercial traffic between mile markers 199 and 201 at 12:47 p.m., disrupting a vital shipping artery for Midwestern goods. By 9:42 p.m., the river reopened, though a safety zone between mile markers 199.5 and 200.5 remained in place to secure the area. The Clark Bridge, a critical local thoroughfare, was briefly closed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol but reopened within two hours. The nearby National Great Rivers Museum, a popular attraction, was evacuated and shuttered for the day.

Eyewitness accounts painted a vivid picture of the tragedy. Adam Briggs, a local fisherman, watched in horror as the helicopter zigzagged across the river, picking up a worker with a marker ball. “It was doing something with the balls up there, and all of a sudden it wasn’t a helicopter anymore—it was a thousand pieces,” he recounted. Another witness, Wallace Meyer, shared a similar shock: “I looked up, and it just exploded into fragments.” Video footage captured by bystanders showed a fireball and black smoke rising from the barge, a haunting image of the disaster’s immediate aftermath.

As federal investigators from the NTSB and FAA took over, questions swirled about the cause of the crash. Preliminary reports suggest the helicopter struck a power line, a known hazard for pilots due to their near-invisibility against the sky. Aviation experts noted that such maintenance work, while common, demands precision, with pilots required to hover steadily in challenging conditions. Investigators are likely to examine factors like wind—reported as a light 8 mph breeze from the west—or potential mechanical issues with the Hughes 369D, a lightweight utility helicopter often used for such tasks. The NTSB, leading the probe, dispatched an investigator to the site on August 8, with a thorough inquiry expected to follow.

Local leaders and officials mourned the loss. Alton Mayor David Goins called the incident “horrific,” offering condolences to the families and those connected to the victims. U.S. Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski took to social media, writing, “This is heartbreaking news. I’ll be closely monitoring the situation and keeping everyone affected in my thoughts.” The community, shaken by the tragedy, rallied in support, with agencies across Illinois and Missouri working tirelessly to manage the crisis.

As the sun set over the Mississippi, the wreckage of the helicopter, now covered by a blue tarp, stood as a somber reminder of the lives lost. The investigation continues, with the NTSB expected to provide updates as they piece together the events leading to this devastating crash. For now, the river flows on, but the echoes of that fateful morning linger in the hearts of those who witnessed it and the families forever changed by the loss of Cody Curry and his unnamed colleague.