Helicopter Crashes Into Ocean Near Miami Beach

A helicopter with three people on board crashed into the ocean close to the Miami Beach shoreline in Florida on Saturday afternoon. 

Video of the incident shows the aircraft’s downward trajectory close to dozens of beachgoers in the ocean and on the sand. 

There were three people aboard the helicopter two passengers and the pilot. The two passengers suffered broken backs but were in “stable condition,” a Miami Beach Fire Department spokesperson told NBC News . The spokesperson described the pilot as “doing OK.” 

No one in the water was injured, though the spokesperson added that if the helicopter had crashed only 50 yards closer to the shore, it would have been a “mass casualty event.” 

The Federal Aviation Administration called the circumstances of the crash “unknown,” Local 10 reported . The agency is investigating the cause .