Helicopter Crashes Into Biscayne Bay Near Key Biscayne, Killing One

A Robinson R44 II helicopter crashed into Biscayne Bay near Bill Baggs State Park on Wednesday while on a flight to film boats. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office reported that one person died and two others suffered critical injuries in the accident off Key Biscayne.

Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz stated during a news conference that the two survivors were transported to a nearby trauma center. She described their condition as critical but stable. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Rescue operations involved multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and local marine patrols. The sheriff’s office marine units found a Good Samaritan attempting to assist one victim by moving him toward shore. Miami firefighters tried to resuscitate the bystander, but he did not survive, Cordero-Stutz said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers located the two remaining men from the helicopter and handed them over to rescue workers for hospital transport. The agency shared an image on Instagram showing an agent pulling the men from the water, captioning the post with praise for the team's lifesaving action.

Footage from Chopper6 captured the aircraft upside down underwater. Two yellow emergency floats were attached to the bottom of the landing skids, a design feature intended to keep the helicopter afloat during a water landing.

Officials had not immediately identified the three occupants of the helicopter. The sheriff’s office said staff were still in the process of notifying family members. This incident follows a Learjet crash near West Palm Beach on Sunday that killed nine people and prompted an NTSB investigation.