One Dead, Two Hurt as Robinson R44 Helicopter on a Photography Flight Crashes Into Biscayne Bay Off Key Biscayne; NTSB Investigating

One man was killed and two others were critically injured Wednesday when a Robinson R44 II helicopter on what federal investigators described as a photography flight crashed into Biscayne Bay off Key Biscayne, authorities said. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, the second deadly aviation accident in South Florida in four days after a Learjet went down in a Greenacres neighborhood on Nov. 1 and killed all nine people aboard.

The helicopter went down near Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and Nixon Beach shortly after 11 a.m. on Nov. 4. The two survivors, both men, were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, where officials said they were in critical but stable condition. None of the three men aboard had been publicly identified, and the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office said it was still notifying family members.

What happened over the bay

The four-seat helicopter took off from North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines at about 10:48 a.m. and flew south toward Biscayne Bay, according to flight tracking data reported by NBC 6. Flight tracking placed it near the Key Biscayne Bridge before it went down, according to FOX 13, which cited WSVN in reporting that the aircraft circled, lost altitude quickly and came down upside down in the water.

Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said the helicopter had been chartered and that the men aboard were photographers taking pictures of speedboats on the water, according to WSVN and NBC 6. An NTSB spokesperson told the Key Biscayne Independent, a WLRN news partner, that "preliminary information indicates it was a photography flight."

Several agencies logged the timeline differently, as is common in the first hours after a crash. The times reported Wednesday were:

The rescue

U.S. Customs and Border Protection marine interdiction agents were among the first to reach the scene after overhearing a mayday call from a good Samaritan, NBC 6 reported. Two crews aboard CBP Air and Marine Operations coastal interceptor vessels pulled two men from the water and handed them to Miami-Dade rescue workers. One was taken to the hospital by ground and the other was airlifted.

CBP later posted an image of the rescue on Instagram showing an agent pulling the two men from the bay, with the caption "Courage, teamwork, and lifesaving action when it matters most," according to NBC 6.

The third man could not be saved. A good Samaritan began lifesaving efforts before the sheriff's office marine patrol took over and carried him to No Name Harbor inside the state park, where City of Miami Fire Rescue pronounced him dead, the sheriff said, according to WSVN. NBC News reported that CBP identified the man who died as the pilot. The sheriff's office had not publicly confirmed which of the three occupants was flying.

"This is a very tragic event. Clearly very early on in the investigation," Cordero-Stutz said, according to WSVN.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, City of Miami Fire Rescue and Key Biscayne Fire Rescue responded alongside the Coast Guard and CBP, with the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office leading the local response. Key Biscayne Fire Chief Joe Fernandez confirmed the death and injuries, WLRN reported. A dive team worked near the crash site, and witnesses counted at least three helicopters and several rescue boats around the park.

Television footage showed the helicopter upside down underwater with two yellow emergency floats attached to its landing skids, according to the Associated Press. The floats are designed to help keep a helicopter on the surface after a water landing. The aircraft remained submerged Wednesday afternoon.

The federal investigation

The NTSB posted on X that it is investigating "the Nov. 4 crash of a Robinson R44 II helicopter near Key Biscayne, Florida," and it will lead the probe with help from the Federal Aviation Administration, according to FOX 13 and WSVN. The sheriff said the cause is under investigation.

The aircraft's registration number and the name of the charter operator had not been released in initial reports. The NTSB generally issues a preliminary report within about 30 days of a crash, while a final report with a probable cause can take a year or longer.

A familiar model in Florida skies

The Robinson R44 has been described as the best-selling helicopter in the world, and it has drawn long scrutiny over its safety record.

A Los Angeles Times analysis of NTSB reports found that Robinson R44s were involved in 42 fatal crashes in the United States from 2006 to 2016, more than any other civilian helicopter, and that even using the company's own flight hour estimates the model had the highest fatal accident rate, at 1.17 per 100,000 flight hours. Robinson Helicopter Co.'s president disputed that analysis and defended the company's record. No cause has been suggested in Wednesday's crash, and investigators have not linked it to any design issue.

It is not the first R44 to go down in the same waters. In April 2024, a Robinson R44 crashed into the water off Key Biscayne near Crandon Boulevard after the pilot reported engine trouble, according to local reports at the time. The pilot was rescued with minor injuries.

Second deadly crash in South Florida in a week

Wednesday's crash came as federal investigators were still working the Nov. 1 crash of a Learjet 60 that plunged onto South Military Trail in Greenacres in Palm Beach County, killing all nine people aboard. The business jet had departed Austin, Texas, for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas, and the NTSB has said its crew reported light clear ice and moderate turbulence shortly before the plane entered an overspeed condition and descended rapidly. About 600 residents of a nearby mobile home community were displaced.

The two accidents involve very different aircraft and flights, and there is no indication they are related.

What's next

Authorities have not said when the helicopter will be lifted from the bay for examination. The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office is expected to release the identities of the three men after their families are notified. The Florida Press will update this story as the NTSB and local authorities release more information.