Sheriff's office says two passengers out of hospital after Biscayne Bay helicopter crash that killed pilot

The two passengers in Wednesday’s helicopter crash in Biscayne Bay, men ages 52 and 27, had minor injuries and were no longer hospitalized, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said Thursday, Nov. 5, according to Telemundo 51 and ABC News.¹² The office also released the names of the men aboard, CBS Miami reported.³ NBC 6 and ABC News gave the age of the pilot, who died, as 63.⁴²

That differs from Wednesday’s account. Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said then that both survivors were in “critical, but stable condition,” NBC 6 reported.⁵ CBS Miami quoted a sheriff’s office news release that used the same words for their condition when they were airlifted.³

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement dated Nov. 4 that a Robinson R44 crashed about 11:15 a.m. in the water east of Miami Executive Airport with three people aboard. It said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate, with the NTSB in the lead and giving all updates.⁶ The NTSB said on X that it is investigating the crash of a Robinson R44 II near Key Biscayne, in a post NBC 6 published.⁵

“At this time, we really do not have any information as to what the cause of this crash is,” Cordero-Stutz said Wednesday, according to the Key Biscayne Independent, whose story WLRN carried.⁷

The flight

The sheriff said the helicopter was chartered and was filming boats.⁵ “Preliminary information indicates it was a photography flight,” the NTSB said, according to ABC News.²

Both the Independent and NBC 6 cited the flight tracker FlightAware, with different departure times from North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines. The Independent gave 11:02 a.m.⁷ NBC 6 gave 10:48 a.m. and a sudden altitude drop at about 11:17 a.m. for a helicopter of the same model, and said authorities had not confirmed it was the aircraft in the crash.⁴

The Independent reported that the helicopter’s tail number, which it did not print, is registered to Global Aerials Inc., based at North Perry.⁷ Insurance Journal, citing the Miami Herald, also named Global Aerials as the registered owner.⁸

The rescue

Customs and Border Protection agents responded about 11:20 a.m. after hearing a mayday call from a good Samaritan, and two of the agency’s vessel crews took two people from the water, NBC 6 reported.⁵ Sheriff’s marine units found a good Samaritan trying to help the pilot reach shore, CBS Miami reported.³

The pilot was brought to No Name Harbor in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, where City of Miami firefighters tried to revive him and he was pronounced dead. The passengers were flown to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, the Independent reported.⁷

The investigation

The Independent reported that the sheriff’s office leads the death investigation and that weather is among the questions investigators are examining.⁷ NBC 6 reported that its aerial video showed the helicopter inverted below the surface, with two yellow floats on its skids.⁴ Cordero-Stutz said it was unclear whether the pilot deployed the floats or they deployed automatically, according to the Independent.⁷

What the records do not show

• Why the helicopter crashed. No record or report SignalData opened gives a cause.
• The tail number. The FAA statement gives none, and no report SignalData read prints it, so SignalData did not check the FAA registry. The owner’s name rests on news reports.⁶
• An NTSB record. SignalData could not open an NTSB page, and it did not see an investigation page, docket or preliminary report. The NTSB statements here come through news reports.
• The sheriff’s office, Customs and Border Protection and Coast Guard statements as issued. The FAA statement is the only record SignalData opened.
• Why the survivors’ reported condition changed between Wednesday and Thursday.
• One settled time. The FAA statement says about 11:15 a.m.;⁶ CBS Miami cited the FAA for about 11 a.m.;³ Islander News cited the sheriff’s office for a mayday call at about 11:30 a.m.⁹