Three people were injured when a helicopter crashed into the Atlantic ocean off a Miami Beach coast, the fire department said.
The crash occurred around 1:10 p.m., Miami Beach Police said in a tweet. A video released by police showed the aircraft, a Robinson R44 helicopter, dive into the water dangerously close to the packed beach.
There were three people on the helicopter according to the Miami Beach Fire Department.
The pilot is said to be in stable condition and is “doing OK,” a spokesperson told NBC News.
The two passengers were in the backseat and have broken backs, according to the spokesperson.
All three were taken to the hospital in stable condition.
The fire department spokesperson said the people in the water at the time of the crash were not injured.
The spokesperson said if the crash happened 50 yards closer to land “we would have had a mass casualty event on our hands.”
Parts of the beach area were closed. Several agencies were at the scene including the Federal Aviation Administration.
The cause of the crash remains unknown.
“The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.
The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide additional updates,” the FAA said in a statement.
