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The authorities identified on Tuesday the two individuals who died when a training helicopter crashed into the roof of an empty warehouse in Boynton Beach, Florida.
According to the report cited by Telemundo, the victims were identified as Alejandro Carrasco and Bryan Menna, a 28-year-old flight instructor residing in West Palm Beach and a 52-year-old flight student originally from Michigan, respectively.
The accident occurred on Monday around 12:30 p.m. in the 3800 block of South Congress Avenue, within the Egret Point Logistics Center complex.
The crashed aircraft was a Robinson R44 helicopter with registration N478AT, belonging to Airmen Testing and Training Inc., also known as Palm Beach Helicopters, a flight school based in Lantana, in Palm Beach County, founded around 2001.
The school owner confirmed that both victims were participating in a training flight.
A 43-second radio transmission, obtained from local sources, reveals that the pilot reported engine problems seconds before the impact.
In the recording, you can hear: "We're going to land here, in one of these fields; we have a problem with the helicopter."
A second voice clarifies to air traffic control: "He said he is going to land in one of the fields; there is a problem with the engine."
Witnesses on the ground described erratic movements of the aircraft and a barrel roll descent before the impact, followed by a loud crash.
Aerial images showed the wreckage of the helicopter protruding from the roof of the warehouse. There were no injuries on the ground or fire, although a small fuel spill was reported that required the intervention of the hazardous materials team.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation of the incident with support from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The investigators arrived at the scene to document it and examine the wreckage. The FAA has already classified the damage to the aircraft as "substantial" and reported the incident under "unknown circumstances," a standard designation until the cause is determined.
Authorities have requested that potential witnesses send videos or information to witness@ntsb.gov.
This type of accident is not uncommon in South Florida. In April 2025, a small plane crash in Boca Raton left at least three dead, and in July of that same year, a small plane crashed in Lake Worth Beach, in Palm Beach County, leaving seven injured.
The Robinson R44 is the best-selling civil helicopter in the world and the most commonly used in flight schools in the United States, but it has a controversial safety record.
According to data from the FAA covering the period from 2006 to 2016, it accumulates 1.6 deaths per 100,000 flight hours, almost 50% more than any other comparable civil model, and was involved in 42 fatal accidents in that country during that decade. Globally, as of June 2024, the model has recorded 218 fatal accidents out of a total of 662 incidents.
In January 2026, another air incident drew attention when a helicopter nearly crashed at Miami airport. The NTSB typically issues preliminary reports weeks after an accident, whereas final reports may take one or two years to be completed.
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