Officials identify pilot killed in helicopter crash in Biscayne Bay

Authorities have identified the man killed in a helicopter crash in Biscayne Bay on Wednesday.

Pilot Tomas Pendas, 63, died when the Robinson R44 II helicopter crashed into Biscayne Bay near Bill Baggs State Park, off Key Biscayne, while on a trip to film boats on the water, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said.

Two others aboard the chopper, men 52 and 27 years old, suffered minor injuries and are no longer hospitalized, authorities said.

Helicopter went down in Biscayne Bay

Rescue workers from several local agencies, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, responded to the crash before 11:30 a.m.

When the sheriff's office marine patrol units reached the scene, they reported finding a Good Samaritan trying to help one of the victims, now identified as Pendas, and take him to shore. Miami firefighters attempted to save his life, but he didn't survive, Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said.

Now the sheriff's office is looking to speak to the good Samaritan to thank them for their "swift actions and lifesaving efforts."

Meanwhile, border protection officers found the two other men from the helicopter and turned them over to Miami-Dade rescue workers for transport to the hospital.

Footage from Chopper6 shows the aircraft upside down underwater with two yellow floats attached to the bottom of its landing skids. Those emergency floats are designed to help keep a helicopter afloat in a water landing.

A powerful image shows the moment an agent rescued two men from the water.

"Courage, teamwork, and lifesaving action when it matters most," U.S. Customs and Border Protection wrote along with the photo on Instagram.

Information on the online flight tracker FlightAware shows that a helicopter of the same model was flying for about five minutes over Biscayne Bay before it recorded a sudden drop in altitude at around 11:17 a.m. Authorities have not confirmed if this is the exact aircraft involved in the crash.

Before that flight, the helicopter had departed North Perry Airport at 10:48 a.m. and flown for 13 minutes toward Biscayne Bay. It was not immediately clear if the chopper landed before taking off again.

Authorities said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.