A tragic helicopter crash claimed the life of a man and left a woman injured in Southwest Miami-Dade earlier today, officials said. The Hughes 369 helicopter, en route from Fort Myers, spiraled out of control before plunging into a canal near Southwest 184th Avenue and 122nd Street, as per NBC Miami. This area is situated roughly three miles west of the Miami Executive Airport. The accident reportedly occurred around 1:50 p.m., according to Federal Aviation Administration officials.
Before divers retrieved the man from the water, where he was later pronounced dead, the woman emerged from the hazardous depths, with officials expecting her to survive the ordeal, according to police statements obtained by CBS News Miami. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel transported the critical patients to a local hospital, with CPR being administered to the pilot beforehand. An unexpected sight greeted Michael Rodriguez and his wife from their home's proximity, where rescue efforts were overhead but the couple did not hear the crash itself, they told NBC Miami, remarking on the strangeness and the quiet of the catastrophe that unfolded nearly within their own yard.
The area around the canal where the helicopter crashed remains under scrutiny, with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue seen searching near a streak of fuel captured by NBC chopper aerials. The incident attracted a swift emergency response upon receiving initial tips from public witnesses, as Miami-Dade Police Spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta described to CBS News Miami, recounting calls to 911 about the helicopter's dangerous spin before its fall.
While the identity of both the deceased and the survivor has not yet been disclosed, investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA are underway to determine what led to the disaster. Simultaneously, the Miami-Dade Police are conducting a death investigation. Offering a snapshot of perseverance amid tragedy, the rescued woman was seen on a stretcher using her phone as she was transported away from the scene, a moment captured by CBS News Miami.
