One person has died and two others were injured after a helicopter crashed into Biscayne Bay near Miami.
Emergency crews rushed to the waters off Key Biscayne on Wednesday morning following reports that an aircraft had gone down.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that one person died, while two others were taken to hospital for treatment.
Aerial footage from local news outlets showed officials gathered beside a yellow tarp covering what appeared to be a body.
Other footage showed a man being placed on a stretcher before authorities carried him away from the crash site.
Flotation devices were also visible in the water after the crash, which officials said occurred shortly after 11 a.m.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the helicopter’s exact flight number. However, FlightAware data showed a helicopter of the same model rapidly losing altitude over the bay around the time of the incident.
The aircraft had departed North Perry Airport at 10:48 a.m. and was flying over the bay when its altitude suddenly dropped.
Local reports said two men were taken to hospital, while a third person died
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the aircraft as a Robinson R44 helicopter carrying three people
A man involved in the crash was taken from the scene on a stretcher
In a statement to the Daily Mail, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the aircraft was a Robinson R44 helicopter with three people on board.
The agency said the helicopter crashed at 11:15 a.m. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, with the NTSB set to lead the inquiry.
The FAA said: ‘A Robinson R44 helicopter crashed in the water east of Miami Executive Airport in Florida around 11:15 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
‘Three people were on board. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation and provide all updates.’
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said: ‘A total of three patients were reported. Two adult trauma alert patients were transported by ground rescue units from the City of Miami Fire Rescue and Key Biscayne Fire Rescue to a designated landing zone, where MDFR Air Rescue transported them to the main trauma center.’
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The Coast Guard said: ‘U.S. Coast Guard Southeast, partner agencies responded to a helicopter crash, Wed, on Biscayne Bay at approx. 11:30 a.m.
‘3 people were on the aircraft. 1 person is reported deceased & 2 people were transported by EMS to a higher level of care.’
The NTSB said: ‘NTSB investigating the Nov. 4 crash of a Robinson R44 II helicopter near Key Biscayne, Florida.’
The helicopter crash happened only days after a Learjet 60 plunged to the ground in West Palm Beach, north of Miami, on Sunday, killing all nine people aboard.
The jet was being flown by pilot Jeff Gregory, 55, and copilot Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, when it was involved in the fatal crash.
Tech tycoon Adam Robinson, 45, and his ceramicist wife Helen Sharp, 40, were aboard the jet with their children, Emma, four, and Charlie, two
Robinson’s friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, along with the children’s nanny, Anita Maria Cetina, were also on the flight
The jet’s pilot was Jeff Gregory, 55, and its copilot was Nathalia Filgueiras, 20.
Tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 45, his ceramicist wife Helen Sharp, 40, and their children, Emma, four, and Charlie, two, were on board when the jet descended from the sky at 20,000 feet per minute on Sunday afternoon.
The family was traveling from its home in Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas to celebrate Robinson’s birthday when the tragedy unfolded.
Robinson’s friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, as well as the children’s nanny, Anita Maria Cetina, were also passengers.
Before the crash, copilot Filgueiras told air traffic controllers that ice was building up on the aircraft and that severe turbulence had caused it to rise and fall by more than 700 feet.
Filgueiras reported that the aircraft had banked 60 degrees, meaning it was flying almost sideways, while also describing the rapid changes in altitude.
‘We’re going to die!’ she screamed, according to her final radio transmissions to air traffic control, before the jet struck the ground and burst into flames.
As the aircraft fell, Gregory, whom friends described as a devout Christian, could reportedly be heard reciting the Lord’s Prayer in the background.