COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – A helicopter pilot working with a crew on a project in Tradewinds Park had to be rescued from a heavily wooded area after the chopper crashed Thursday.
The crash happened shortly after noon when it was reported that the helicopter went down in the 3600 block of West Sample Road.
Coconut Creek police spokesman Scotty Leamon said construction was being done in the area.
Here's a look at the work the chopper was doing this morning before it crashed in the south end of Tradewinds Park. The pilot's injuries were non-life-threatening. The video puts the work of the pilot in context. He was part of a crew restoring a drainage system in the park. pic.twitter.com/ZDMp4KaNHU
— Coconut Creek Police Department (@CoconutCreekPD) June 25, 2020
“We knew that the helicopter would be out today picking up the pipe and construction material from one place and transporting it to another place and dropping it off,” said Leamon.
The Coconut Creek Police said that the helicopter pilot was part of a county crew that was restoring a drainage system in Tradewinds Park.
Several fire companies from Margate-Coconut Creek Fire Rescue arrived on the scene. By foot they got to the remote crash site, where a spokesperson for the city of Margate said they were able to rescue and stabilize the injured pilot.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire Department Technical Rescue Team and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Air Rescue North were able to hoist the injured pilot from the crash site and he was then transport to a local hospital.
“It was an extremely difficult area to work within, heavily wooded,” Lt. Alex Acosta of Miami-Dade Air Rescue said. Acosta said much of the site had to be cleared using chainsaws to get to the wreckage.
Leamon said the pilot was the only person aboard the helicopter.
One Margate-Coconut Creek firefighter was treated and transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to a city of Margate official.
Coconut Creek police said the helicopter pilot suffered non-life threatening injuries.
“It’s a great feeling. That’s why we do the job, to save lives and to help out,” said F.M. Jorge Ley of Miami-Dade Air Rescue.
Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration arrived on the scene and are investigating what caused the chopper to crash.