1 dead, 2 injured after helicopter crashes into bay near Miami

Posted November 5, 2026 1:51 pm

3 min read

One person was killed and two others were critically injured after a helicopter crashed into Biscayne Bay near Miami on Wednesday.

The Robinson R44 II helicopter went down late Wednesday morning near Bill Baggs State Park, off Key Biscayne, while on a trip to film boats on the water, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office  (MDSO) said.

Rescue workers from Key Biscayne Fire Rescue, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and the City of Miami Department of Fire-Rescue, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, responded to the crash.

1:16 Mid-air helicopter crash near Oregon airport kills 3

“MDSO Marine Patrol units responded and observed a Good Samaritan on a boat providing CPR to the adult male victim. MDSO Marine Patrol units took over the lifesaving efforts and brought the victim to the dock at No Name Harbor. City of Miami Fire Rescue arrived, and despite the efforts provided, the victim was pronounced deceased on scene,” police said in a press release.

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The preliminary investigation revealed that the commercial helicopter was filming boats as they were heading south.

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“The cause of the crash is currently under investigation by National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration. MDSO Homicide Bureau detectives have assumed the death investigation,” police added.

During a news conference, Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said that the two survivors were taken to a nearby trauma centre in critical but stable condition.

MDSO identified the people involved in the helicopter crash on Wednesday afternoon.

The pilot was identified as Tomas Pendas, 63, who was killed in the crash.

Ryan McCoy, 52, and Ryan Ferraro, 27, were identified as the men who were injured in the crash.

“This is a very tragic event,” Cordero-Stutz told WSVN. “Clearly very early on in the investigation. Our hearts go out to the people affected by this tragedy and prayers for those who were lost.”

1:51 Florida crash: NTSB say pieces of plane’s tail found four miles from impact site

The crash comes after nine people died when a Learjet plummeted into the ground near West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday.

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A piece of the Learjet that slammed into the ground in Florida was found nearly 6.4 kilometres from the crash site, investigators said Tuesday, confirming that the plane was breaking apart before impact.

National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman said most of the left elevator — part of the tail that controls the plane’s pitch — was found in three pieces between two kilometres and 6.1 kilometres from Greenacres, near West Palm Beach, where the jet went down Sunday afternoon.

“What that means exactly, in terms of what caused the aircraft to lose control, or whether the loss of this piece was a result of the forces on the aircraft, we don’t know yet,” Chapman said at a news conference.

Without the elevator intact, the pilot would not have been able to pull the Learjet out of its nosedive, Chapman said.

Weather will be a key initial focus of the investigation, Chapman reiterated Tuesday. The nosedive started after the co-pilot reported ice starting to build up on the plane and some significant turbulence as the Learjet flew into a rapidly developing thunderstorm cell.

The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating that crash.

—With files from The Associated Press

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