Pilot, survivors identified in helicopter crash in Biscayne Bay

A helicopter crash in Biscayne Bay near Bill Baggs State Park off Key Biscayne resulted in the death of the pilot, according to authorities. NBC 6 South Florida reports that the pilot was aboard a Robinson R44 II when the aircraft went down during a jaunt intended to film boats on the water. The incident occurred in Biscayne Bay with the crash site described as near Bill Baggs State Park, as identified by investigators. No information is provided in the NBC 6 material about the condition of other occupants or survivors.

CBS News confirms the victim’s identity as Tomas Pendas, the pilot, and clarifies that there were two other occupants who survived the crash but were injured. CBS notes that the helicopter involved was a Robinson R44 and that the crash occurred around 11 a.m. on a Wednesday, with first responders arriving at the scene and a Good Samaritan assisting at the shore, per the CBS Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office materials.

Further CBS News reporting identifies the two injured survivors as Ryan McCoy and Ryan Ferraro. The account states that first responders reached the scene and that a Good Samaritan helped attempt to bring Pendas to shore before responders provided further assistance. CBS also describes the rescue operations continuing in the hours after the incident, including the involvement of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations in locating the two injured male victims and transporting them to the dock at No Name Harbor.

From No Name Harbor, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arranged air transport to a local hospital for the two survivors, who were described as being in critical but stable condition upon transfer. CBS’s reporting attributes these details to Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office materials as part of the ongoing response and medical evacuation process following the Biscayne Bay crash.

CBS News’ narrative does not provide any new information about the aircraft’s airworthiness, prior flight details, or additional passengers beyond the two injured survivors. The central facts established by the material are the helicopter type (Robinson R44), the location near Bill Baggs State Park in Biscayne Bay, the death of the pilot Tomas Pendas, the identity of the two injured survivors Ryan McCoy and Ryan Ferraro, and the sequence of rescue activities including a Good Samaritan’s involvement and the later transport to a hospital by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

In related coverage, a separate report from WPEC discusses a different fatal air event, a Learjet crash near West Palm Beach, noting nine fatalities (seven passengers and two crew) and identifying the crew as Jeffrey Gregory, the pilot, and Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, the co-pilot, with the seven passengers named in the PBSO release cited by WPEC. The Learjet narrative includes details about the crash location along Military Trail in Greenacres, the Austin, Texas to Bahamas flight, and ongoing efforts to recover human remains and notify next of kin, but these details pertain to a separate incident and are not connected to the Biscayne Bay helicopter crash.

CBS News adds one more detail about the Biscayne Bay crash location and timing by reiterating that the incident occurred near Bill Baggs State Park and around 11 a.m. on the referenced Wednesday, reinforcing the timeline and location as reported by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. The material does not disclose any additional fatalities or the current condition of the aircraft beyond the stated loss of the pilot and the two injured survivors, nor does it specify the causes being investigated.