BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — Air traffic control transmissions obtained by Local 10 show that a helicopter pilot reported an engine problem Monday afternoon and said he needed to land in a field shortly before the chopper crashed into a vacant warehouse in Boynton Beach.
The pilot’s radio transmissions to the tower lasted less than a minute before the crash.
“We’re going to be landing out here in one of these fields. We’ve got something going on with the helicopter,” the pilot is heard saying, noting that there was some kind of engine issue.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Robinson R44 helicopter crashed at about 12:30 p.m. Monday in the 3800 block of South Congress Avenue.
Sky 10 was above the scene afterward and captured a portion of the chopper sticking out of the roof of the warehouse.
“I don’t know how that happened at all. I would expect it to explode,” witness Ernie Cardona said. “I did see that there was a lot of fluids all over the floor. So I can’t believe it didn’t spark and more or less missed the buildings, as I’ve seen through the drones as well too.”
Patrick Richardson, an electrician, tried to go to work near the crash site Tuesday, but was turned away since the area is still closed off amid the investigation.
Richardson said he heard a “boom” Monday when the accident occurred.
“I came out to have lunch and as I sat down – maybe 10 minutes – the doors blew open. I heard something -- ‘Boom!’ And I knew we didn’t have anything that big to make a sound like that,” he said.
Surveillance video obtained by Local 10 shows people waiting outside after the crash before first responders arrived.
“No smoke, no flames, took our crews a minute to get inside, it’s obviously a very big building, they go inside and they found all the wreckage,” said Matt Oxendine with Boynton Beach Fire Rescue.
The two people onboard the helicopter were killed in the crash.
Chelsea Sanabia, a spokesperson with the Boynton Beach Police Department, identified the victims on Wednesday as 28-year-old Alejandro Carrasco, an instructor from West Palm Beach, and 52-year-old Bryan Menna, a student from Michigan.
Richardson said the crash, however, could have been even more catastrophic as many people in the area like to eat their lunch outdoors.
“We didn’t hear anything -- no screams, no help,” he said.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the fatal crash.
Investigators will look at maintenance records, pilot health history, the engine and any flight plans that may have been filed.
Records show the helicopter is owned by Airmen Testing and Training, doing business as Palm Beach Helicopters in Lantana. No one answered the door when Local 10 contacted the business earlier in the day.
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