Helicopter Crashes into Biscayne Bay, Killing Pilot and Injuring Passengers

A helicopter chartered to film boats in the waters near Miami crashed Wednesday, Nov. 4, killing the pilot and injuring two others. The Miami-Sheriff’s Office said the helicopter made a mayday distress call about 11:30 a.m., shortly after it took off, then fell into the water near Nixon Beach in Biscayne Bay, a popular boating area. The pilot was identified as Thomas Pendas, 63. Two passengers received minor injuries, the Sheriff’s Office reported. The cause is under investigation. When the Sheriff’s Marine Patrol officers arrive on the scene of the crash, a person was attempting to provide life-saving efforts to the pilot. That Good Samaritan has not been identified, and the sheriff’s office would like to find the person and thank them for their efforts, reads a statement from the office. The aircraft was identified as a Robinson R44 II helicopter, registered to Global Aerials Inc., the Miami Herald reported. The R44 has long been considered one of the top-selling helicopters around the world, but has been in a large number of deadly crashes. In 2018, the Los Angeles Times reported that R44s had 42 fatal crashes from 2006 to 2016—more than any other type of civilian helicopter, according to National Transportation Safety Board data. The accident rate was 1.6 deadly accidents per 100,000 hours flown, a rate that was almost 50% higher than most other civilian choppers, the Times reported. The craft has been the subject of several FAA airworthiness directives regarding cracked rotor blades and other problems, according to news reports. The R44 II, the model that crashed in Biscayne Bay this week, eliminated the carburetor and introduced a fuel-injection system for the engine, along with other upgrades, the Robinson company noted on its website. R44-Related: NC Judge Orders Insurers to Pay $50M in TV News Helicopter Crash Death Photo: A Robinson R44, similar to the chopper that crashed near Miami, shown flying in Spain in 2018 (DepositPhotos)