Robinson R-44 helicopter plummets into water off Miami beach after 'mechanical failure' caused aircraft to nosedive - but pilot on board escapes with just minor injuries

A pilot has plunged his Robinson R-44 helicopter into the water near Key Biscayne after reporting engine issues.

According to the FAA, which is investigating the crash, the four-seat helicopter went down around 1:50pm off the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.

The pilot, whose identity has not been disclosed, managed to escape the terrifying incident with minor injuries. 

Footage recorded after the crash showed frightened beachgoers gathered at the water's edge, watching emergency officials rush to the scene to rescue the pilot.

In a video posted on the Only in Dade Instagram account, a rescue helicopter could be seen hovering above the sinking Robinson R-44.

A Robinson R-44 helicopter crashed into the water near Key Biscayne, Florida, on Saturday after the pilot reported engine issues; pictured: the sunk helicopter under the water

Emergency officials rushed to the pilot's aid as frightened onlookers watched the rescue unfold; pictured: a rescue helicopter flying above the distressed pilot

'There was a helicopter crash,' the man filming the video narrated.

He swept the camera along the glinting Key Biscayne water.

'The helicopter crash happened somewhere over here.'

In the video, other witnesses were standing inches from the lapping waves, their eyes straining to make out the crashed helicopter. 

'There's another one. And another one,' a young woman could be heard saying in reference to the approaching rescue helicopters.

Sheridan Flynn, who happened to be at the beach and witnessed the harrowing crash, took to X.com, formerly Twitter, to describe what he had seen.

'Just witnessed a helicopter crash into the water just off Key Biscayne, Miami,' Flynn wrote. 'Hope the occupants got out ok'.

Flynn said that the helicopter was flying in an unusual manner right before the crash.

'Looked like the chopper had been flying low and very close to the water just prior to the crash'.

The witness went on to praise the efforts of the rescuers: 'Emergency services and civilian watercraft responded extremely quickly'.

Beachgoers witnessed the helicopter's dramatic crash; pictured: a rescue helicopter flying above the sunk air craft

Flynn also shared a video of the helicopter after the crash, in which the overturned Robinson R-44 light aircraft could be seen bobbing up and down rhythmically in the ocean swell. 

The entire helicopter is under the water except for the landing skids, which poke out a few feet.

In the distance, a fleet of boats could be seen rushing to the pilot's rescue. 

A witness told NBC6 South Florida that the helicopter appeared to suffer from a mechanical failure.

'It looked like it had some form of mechanical failure as I saw the tail end of the helicopter [swing' side to side'.

'And then I just saw it take a nosedive into the water'. 

Although seeing the helicopter crash was terrifying for many, witnesses were impressed with speed with which emergency officials came to the pilot's aid.

'It was great to see within 30 seconds or a minute there was already a first responder at the helicopter recovering the pilot from the water,' said one witness.

Another bystander told News7 that he was 'lying on the beach' when the helicopter plummeted into the water.

'I was just lying on the beach, and I'm looking out into the ocean . All of a sudden, I see a helicopter kind of get a little low,' Christopher Rodriguez said.

'It keeps getting low, it keeps getting down, and all of a sudden, wham, hits the ground really loud'.

From the shore, people watched a police marine unit conduct a lightning-fast rescue; pictured: the sunk helicopter bobbing in the water and rescue boats rushing to the pilot's aid

Like the other witness, Rodriguez admired how quickly emergency officials arrived at the scene.

'I've got to say, I think it was Coast Guard or the first responders, whoever arrived at the scene were very fast, I'd say within a minute'.

'The helicopter wasn't even fully underwater yet, and the first responders were there,' Rodriguez added.

A police marine unit is reported to have rescued the pilot. 'I saw a raft appear, and I believe a man came up,' Rodriguez said. 

'A couple of helicopters came around, and that's pretty much all that happened'. FAA investigators said that the pilot was the sole individual on board the helicopter. 

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said that the pilot suffered minor injuries but was not taken to the hospital.