Key Biscayne Helicopter Crash: Pilot Tomas Pendas Identified After R44 Goes Down in Biscayne Bay

Developing story.

The pilot killed when a Robinson R44 II helicopter crashed into Biscayne Bay off Key Biscayne on Wednesday, Nov. 4, has been identified as Tomas Pendas, 63, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office said. Two passengers aboard survived with minor injuries and have been released from the hospital.

Pendas was the pilot and the president of Global Aerials Inc., the Pembroke Pines company listed as the registered owner of the helicopter, according to Florida corporate records and the FAA aircraft registry. The aircraft, a 2015 Robinson R44 II registered N272JW, was on a chartered aerial photography flight covering powerboats in the 34th Annual Key West Powerboat Week poker run.

What happened

According to an NTSB briefing reported by the Key Biscayne Independent, Pendas departed North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines at 10:10 a.m. Wednesday. At about 11:20 a.m., a boater in the poker run made a mayday call reporting a helicopter down just off Nixon Beach on Key Biscayne.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection marine interdiction agents working nearby were first on scene and pulled the two passengers from the water, the sheriff's office and CBP said. The survivors — Ryan McCoy, 52, and Ryan Ferraro, 27 — were taken to No Name Harbor at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center. The sheriff's office later said both sustained minor injuries and are no longer hospitalized.

A good Samaritan was attempting CPR on Pendas when Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office marine units arrived. Pendas was brought to No Name Harbor; despite lifesaving efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office.

Plain terms: A mayday is the international radio distress call. Aerial photography flights are typically flown under commercial FAA rules when paying customers are carried; the NTSB has described this flight as a photography mission and has not yet detailed the exact operating certificate in its public updates.

The helicopter

N272JW is a four-seat Robinson R44 II with a fuel-injected Lycoming IO-540 engine, according to the FAA registry. Aerial video from the scene showed the helicopter inverted in the water with yellow emergency floats on the landing skids. The NTSB said wreckage recovery was planned after the crash, with investigators expecting to examine the airframe, maintenance history and the conditions of the flight at a secure facility.

Plain terms: The Robinson R44 is a light piston helicopter widely used for training, personal flying and camera work. The Raven II variant added fuel injection and wider rotor blades. Emergency floats are designed to keep a helicopter upright and buoyant after a water landing; investigators have not said whether they deployed as designed.

What investigators are looking at

NTSB air safety investigator Gene Rambo said the agency's work will examine "the man, the machine and the environment," including the pilot's training and medical records, the helicopter's maintenance history and weather, NBC 6 reported. Investigators are also looking at any specific requirements tied to the aerial photoshoot.

"The pressures they were operating under," Rambo said, according to NBC 6.

The NTSB expects a facts-only preliminary report in about 15 days. A final report with a probable cause typically takes about 18 months. No cause has been determined. The agency asks anyone with information, photos or video to email witness@ntsb.gov.

Where early reports differ

• Departure time: The NTSB's Thursday update put the North Perry departure at 10:10 a.m. Some flight-tracking summaries cited by local outlets showed a later airborne time near 10:48 a.m. We follow the NTSB figure until a preliminary report is issued.
• Condition of the survivors: Early sheriff's comments described the two passengers as critical but stable; a later update said they sustained minor injuries and had been released.

BizJet Brief extends its deepest sympathies to the family, friends and colleagues of Tomas Pendas, and wishes a full recovery to the two survivors.