MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Two people had to be rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital after a helicopter crashed near Miami Beach swimmers on Saturday afternoon.
The helicopter, a Robinson R44, crashed at around 1:20 p.m., between 10TH and 14TH Streets, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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“Engine to control, you said helicopter in the water,” is the call that rang out across emergency scanner radios.
“All of a sudden, we saw a helicopter which you really didn’t see until it was about 20 feet above the water and then all of a sudden it sounded like it was losing power and then it hit the water,” said tourist Greg Woods.
Video released by the Miami Beach Police Department showed the aircraft losing altitude and splashing down near the shore.
“All of a sudden, you heard some noise like a loud car almost and someone said that looks really low, I turn to look, then it hit the water. It kind of flipped and went right and it came down really fast. It happened really fast”, said tourist Joe Siniscalchi, who witnessed the crash.
“Everybody started running and swimming towards getting the folks out it looks like they got them out pretty quickly,” added Siniscalchi.
Authorities said there were three people on board. Two of the occupants were transported to Jackson and were in stable condition, a third passenger was not injured, according to Miami Beach Police.
This afternoon at 1:10 p.m., MBPD received a call of a helicopter crash in the ocean near 10 Street. Police and @MiamiBeachFire responded to the scene along with several partner agencies. Two occupants have been transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital in stable condition.
1/2 pic.twitter.com/heSIqnQtle
— Miami Beach Police (@MiamiBeachPD) February 19, 2022
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“It didn’t look like anyone was hurt, it looked like a pretty soft landing from what I could see, I think they just help some people out for precaution’s sake, but it seems like everyone was all right and a lot of people chipped in to help,” said Woods.
Images posted on social media showed part of the helicopter sticking out of the water, as beachgoers looked on.
The National Transportation Safety Board will be taking over the investigation.
Police had closed off the area while the investigation was being conducted.
The helicopter is registered to HD Aviation Services in Pembroke Pines, according to the FAA.
No other injuries were reported.
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It is unclear what may have caused the chopper to go down.
