A man drenched from head to toe was pulled alive from Biscayne Bay after a helicopter crash killed one person and left two others critically injured.
The victim who died was identified as 63-year-old pilot Tomas Pendas. Ryan McCoy and Ryan Ferraro were confirmed as the two passengers aboard the aircraft when it plunged into the water.
Dramatic images showed the overturned helicopter floating in the bay as emergency crews raced to reach those on board.
One Miami Marine agent was photographed wrapping his arms around a soaked passenger and lifting him to safety.
The rescue effort began after US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) marine agents received a mayday call at about 11.30am on Wednesday.
A Good Samaritan made the call after witnessing a helicopter crash near Key Biscayne, off the Miami coast, authorities said.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office also received a separate distress call at approximately 11.30am.
The Robinson R44 was carrying three adult men and had taken off from North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines at about 10.48am.
A preliminary investigation indicated that the helicopter had been chartered to film boats and was flying south when it went down.
A Miami Marine agent was pictured with his arms wrapped around a soaked passenger as he lifted him to safety after the accident in the Biscayne Bay near Bill Baggs State Park, off Key Biscayne
Images from the scene showed the partially submerged aircraft floating upside down, with its distinctive yellow emergency flotation devices visible beneath the landing skids
Two men were pulled from the water and taken to a landing zone near Bill Baggs State Park, where a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue helicopter was waiting to transport them to hospital, authorities said
Flight-tracking data placed the helicopter’s last recorded position in the area at approximately 11.17am.
The aircraft crashed near Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, close to the popular Nixon Beach sandbar.
Photographs from the scene showed the helicopter partially submerged and upside down, with its distinctive yellow emergency flotation devices visible beneath the landing skids.
By the time rescuers arrived, a passer-by was already trying to help one of the men struggling in the water.
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office marine patrol officers soon reached the scene and took over the rescue operation.
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The man who died was taken toward No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne, where Miami Fire Rescue personnel attempted to revive him.
He was later pronounced dead. The emergency response continued, however, as the two other men remained missing and crews searched the surrounding waters.
CBP Air and Marine Operations officers eventually located McCoy and Ferraro.
The two surviving passengers are understood to be in a critical but stable condition in hospital
They were pulled from the water and taken to a landing zone near Bill Baggs State Park, where a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue helicopter was waiting to transport them to hospital
The two survivors were pulled from the bay and taken to a landing zone near Bill Baggs State Park, where a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue helicopter was waiting to fly them to hospital.
Both men were transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where they were reported to be in critical but stable condition.
The rescue involved a major multi-agency response, with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Miami Fire Rescue, Key Biscayne Fire Rescue, the US Coast Guard, sheriff’s deputies and federal marine officers all participating.
Two interceptor boats were also deployed during the operation.
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz later told a news conference that the helicopter appeared to have been chartered by the men to film boats.
The aircraft was identified as a Robinson R44, a four-seat helicopter commonly used for private flights, sightseeing and aerial photography.
Investigators are working to determine why the aircraft plunged into the bay.
The preliminary investigation found that the commercial helicopter had been filming boats while traveling south.
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash, while detectives from the MDSO Homicide Bureau have taken charge of the death investigation.
Weather conditions are also expected to form part of the inquiry. South Florida had experienced heavy rain in the days before the crash, while thunderstorms and strong winds were reported across the wider region. Authorities have not said whether the weather contributed to the accident.
Our News Outlet has contacted the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s office for comment.
