Miami Helicopter Crash Kills One and Injures Two

One person was killed and two others suffered critical injuries after a Robinson R44 II helicopter crashed into Biscayne Bay near Bill Baggs State Park, off Key Biscayne, Florida, late Wednesday morning, November 4, 2026. The aircraft was carrying three people on a trip to film boats on the water, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

Emergency crews received reports of the accident at approximately 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. The U.S.

Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Miami Fire Rescue and Key Biscayne Fire Rescue joined the response.

Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said two survivors were transported to a nearby trauma center in critical but stable condition. The third occupant died despite attempts by emergency personnel to save his life.

When Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office marine patrol units arrived, they found a bystander attempting to assist one of the victims and bring him toward shore. Miami firefighters subsequently attempted lifesaving measures, but the victim could not be saved, Cordero-Stutz said.

Meanwhile, Customs and Border Protection officers located the helicopter's two other occupants and transferred them to Miami-Dade rescue personnel.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said the two adult patients had traumatic injuries. Ground rescue crews from Miami and Key Biscayne transported them to a designated landing zone, where an air rescue team flew them to the main trauma center.

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed the fatalities and hospital transports in its initial account of the incident.

"1 person is reported deceased & 2 people were transported by EMS to a higher level of care," the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office also confirmed that multiple emergency agencies coordinated their response. The investigation remains underway, and authorities have not publicly identified the helicopter's occupants.

Investigators are working to establish what caused the aircraft to go down. Cordero-Stutz said the circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation. South Florida had experienced heavy showers over the preceding days, although authorities had not established whether weather conditions played a role.

Video footage broadcast by television news outlets and aerial images circulated online showed the helicopter submerged upside down. Yellow emergency flotation devices remained attached to the aircraft's landing skids. The equipment is designed to help helicopters remain afloat during emergency water landings.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident. The Federal Aviation Administration was also approached by The Guardian for additional comment.

The Miami crash occurred just days after another fatal aviation accident in Palm Beach County, Florida. On Sunday, November 1, a Learjet carrying nine people crashed near West Palm Beach, killing everyone aboard.

According to The Guardian, the business jet's crew reported accumulating ice, turbulence and precipitation shortly before declaring an emergency. The aircraft subsequently lost altitude, and the pilot warned air traffic control about an overspeed condition before the jet descended nose-first into the ground.

The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the Palm Beach County crash.