The doomed pilot of the helicopter that crashed off the Florida coast near Key Biscayne has been identified as an aviation executive – just as two survivors of the frightening wreck were released from the hospital.
Tomas Pendas, 63, was killed when the chopper he was manning went down in scenic Biscayne Bay near Bill Baggs State Park Wednesday. The pilot had been flying over the area while documenting boats on the water, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
Pendas was president of Global Aerials, the company listed as the registered owner of the chopper, according to local affiliate NBC6.
The aircraft was being used for a photoshoot of the “Poker Run” speedboat event, according to authorities.
The two other victims aboard the helicopter — 52-year-old Ryan McCoy and 27-year-old Ryan Ferraro, the owner of Boats Daily, a full-service digital marine marketing agency — suffered minor injuries and have since been released from the hospital, CBS and NBC6 reported.
When rescue boats arrived at the crash site Wednesday morning, they spotted a good Samaritan trying to save Pendas, according to Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz.
Despite the stranger’s heroic efforts, Pendas was pronounced dead at the scene, Cordero-Stutz added.
McCoy and Ferraro were airlifted to a local hospital after marine units raced to the wreck.
The downed aircraft was identified as a Robinson R44, WSVN reported.
Grim footage captured by the news station’s own helicopter showed the fallen chopper’s bright yellow floats in the water alongside a body covered by a yellow tarp.
Investigators are focusing on “man, machinery, and the environment” to piece together the final moments of the tragic crash, National Transportation Safety Board investigator Gene Rambo said.
“Regarding the human part, we are reviewing the records,” Rambo told reporters at a press conference, according to CBS.
“We are looking at medical records, and we are looking at the man and the helicopter and what was recovered and looking at the wreckage itself,” Rambo continued.
Key Biscayne is a 5-mile-long barrier island that’s home to picturesque beaches, lush parks and the Ritz-Carlton.
Crews are working to haul the submerged wreckage from those waters, but officials warned the salvage operation will be treacherous.
“We are trying to do as little damage as possible in the recovery,” Rambo explained.
“It is very difficult pulling something out of the water.”
