One person died and two others were injured when a small helicopter crashed late Wednesday morning off the coast of Key Biscayne, Florida, the U.S. Coast Guard reported. The aircraft ended up overturned, with only its landing skids visible above the water near Miami.
Two adults were transported to a nearby trauma center, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue told CNN. There was no immediate information regarding their medical condition or the identity of the person who died.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this sudden and devastating event,” Petty Officer Adrian Gutierrez, a member of the U.S. Coast Guard’s search and rescue team in Miami, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Aerial footage of the scene shows that the helicopter’s landing skids appeared to be equipped with yellow flotation devices, designed to inflate—much like a life vest—to keep the aircraft afloat in the event of a water landing or crash.
The helicopter was on a photography flight, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported, citing preliminary information. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the aircraft belongs to an aerial photography company.
Both the NTSB and the FAA will investigate the incident, the agencies confirmed, while the homicide unit of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office has taken charge of the investigation into the fatality.
NTSB investigators are expected to arrive at the scene on Thursday, the agency stated. The accident follows a collision between two helicopters in Oregon last week that left three people dead, as well as another crash involving a news helicopter in Los Angeles the previous month, which also resulted in three fatalities.
The Robinson R44 helicopter involved in Wednesday’s crash took off shortly before 11 a.m. from North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Florida, according to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the commercial helicopter was filming vessels heading south, the sheriff’s office reported.
The aircraft circled several times near the bridge connecting to Key Biscayne—a barrier island—before turning south and crashing about seven minutes later.
Multiple agencies responded after receiving a distress call from a good Samaritan around 11:30 a.m., authorities stated on Wednesday.
After hearing a distress call from someone providing assistance around 11:20 a.m. local time, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) marine agents working nearby arrived at the scene and rescued two people from the water, the agency said in a statement. Both individuals were transported by a CBP vessel to a port to receive medical attention; one patient was taken by ground ambulance, and the other was transported by air.
Separately, a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office vessel transported the helicopter’s pilot while first aid was being administered, according to the CBP. A security zone was subsequently established around the crash site. Around that time, the nearest weather station—located at Miami International Airport, about 22.5 kilometers from Key Biscayne—recorded thunderstorms with lightning and light rain, along with easterly winds of 14.5 km/h. Closer to the accident site, gusts of 32 km/h were recorded.
The Robinson R44 is a very popular small helicopter; according to the manufacturer, more than 7,800 units have been produced. Last year, 118 of these helicopters were involved in accidents worldwide—24 of which were fatal—according to the Aviation Safety Network database.
Last year, 191 helicopter accidents were recorded in the United States, 32 of which were fatal, according to Aviation Safety Network records.
