Pilot identified after fatal helicopter crash off the Florida coast

An aviation executive was killed when a helicopter crashed into the water off the Florida coast near Key Biscayne on Wednesday. The New York Post reported that the pilot was identified as 63-year-old Tomas Pendas. Two survivors of the crash have since been released from the hospital. [1]

According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, cited by the New York Post, Pendas was flying over the area to document boats on the water when the helicopter went down in Biscayne Bay near Bill Baggs State Park. Pendas served as the president of Global Aerials, which is listed as the registered owner of the helicopter. [1]

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are looking into the cause of the fatal incident. According to the New York Post, NTSB official Gene Rambo stated that investigators are focusing on man, machinery, and the environment to determine what led to the crash. [1]

This crash follows another fatal aviation incident in the state. As FTMQ News reported earlier, nine people died on Sunday when a Learjet traveling from Texas to the Bahamas crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida. [6][7]