Man killed, woman injured after helicopter crashes into South Florida canal

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A man was killed and a woman was injured after a helicopter plunged into a large canal in South Florida on Wednesday, authorities said.

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A Hughes 369 helicopter with two people aboard crashed into the waterway, located about three miles west of Miami Executive Airport in southwestern Miami-Dade County, at around 1:30 p.m. EST, the Federal Aviation Administration told the Miami Herald in an email.

“According to investigators, the witnesses were stating they saw what appeared to be a helicopter that was spinning and falling,” Miami-Dade Police Department Detective Alvaro Zabaleta told reporters, according to WSVN-TV.

Moments later, a woman was seen swimming to safety before she directed Miami-Dade Fire Rescue divers to the submerged aircraft, the Herald reported.

Divers were able to remove the man from the water. It was unclear how long he remained underwater, according to the newspaper.

Both victims were taken to an area hospital, where the man was pronounced dead, WPLG-TV reported.

“Unfortunately, the male succumbed to his injuries,” Zabaleta told reporters. “The female is expected to survive.”

The woman was reported in stable condition late Wednesday, the Herald reported.

Authorities have not identified the two people on board the helicopter.

Police said the helicopter was traveling from Fort Myers on Florida’s west coast and was headed toward Miami Executive Airport, WSVN reported.

“I had seen a helicopter flying super low next to my property, and soon thereafter, there were like five helicopters,” area resident Vivian Alvarez told the television station. “It’s pretty scary that something like that happened around here.”

It is unclear what caused the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are investigating the case, the Herald reported.