Helicopter crashes into sea near Key Biscayne

Only the pilot was on board the device, who was rescued by officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.

| 07/04/2024 - 2:13pm (GMT-5)

A Robinson R-44 helicopter fell into the water near Key Biscayne on Saturday afternoon, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The incident occurred around 1:50 p.m. after the pilot reported engine problems.

Only the pilot was on board the device, who was rescued by officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC), the US Coast Guard reported.

The pilot, whose identity has not been revealed, was taken to a local hospital in an unknown condition, according to the network. CBS.

For its part, the Coast Guard, which initially responded to the accident, had to rely on FWC due to the accident's proximity to the coast.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the causes of the incident.

This latest incident joins a series of similar accidents in the region in recent months.

At the end of March, a helicopter crashed in the Florida Keys and caused minor injuries to two people, who were hospitalized.

The ultralight helicopter - a two-seat MTO Sport model gyrocopter - fell after taking off from the private Tavernaero airport in Tavernier Key, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.

Days earlier, in a quiet field in the Redland area of southwest Miami-Dade, a single-engine Cessna 172M Skyhawk plane crashed around 6 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The identity of the crashed plane was confirmed as belonging to the PanAir Flying Club, headquartered at 14300 SW 129th Street. Club representatives assured that "everyone was fine."

At the beginning of February, Three people lost their lives when a small plane crashed Single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V-35 against a mobile home park in Clearwater, Pinellas County, Florida.

At least four houses were damaged by the accident and the subsequent fire and at least one of them was completely destroyed, according to the head of the Clearwater Fire and Rescue Department, Scott Ehlers, in statements to the press.

At the end of last August, a Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) fire helicopter crashed against a home that suffered serious damage.

The crash occurred at 8:45 a.m. in the area of North Dixie Highway and Atlantic Boulevard, southwest of the Pompano Beach Airpark.