Stepdad, 2 kids were passengers on helicopter that crashed at North Perry: report
What was meant to be a family sightseeing tour instead ended in a helicopter crash at North Perry Airport that injured two adults and two kids, according to an incident report obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The newspaper reported Wednesday that a man and his two stepdaughters were passengers aboard the helicopter preparing for a flight over Miami when the aircraft crashed shortly after a failed takeoff Saturday morning.
The Robinson R44 helicopter attempted to take flight at around 11:20 a.m. on Saturday, June 13, from the Pembroke Pines airport.
“The aircraft had just completed a roundtrip journey from our general aviation airport to the Miami area, according to flight tracking information,” Broward County Aviation spokesperson Arlene Satchell told the Pembroke Pines News in a written statement on June 15.
The preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board provides new details about the moments before the crash.
According to investigators, the pilot reported everything appeared to be functioning normally before the helicopter lifted into a hover. Shortly after, “the pilot said the helicopter drifted to the left; he applied right cyclic to correct,” the report reads.
Before the pilot could lower the collective, which controls the lift, the helicopter drifted sharply to the right, and he was unable to stop it, according to the report.
Video footage reviewed by the NTSB showed the helicopter lifting from the ground with “nose-low attitude,” before drifting left and then right. Its right skid struck the ground, causing the craft to exceed its “critical roll angle” and go into what investigators described as a “dynamic rollover.”
The helicopter struck another parked plane and came to rest on its right side.
The pilot and three passengers sustained minor injuries, according to the NTSB. The report also said the pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions during a previous flight.
The Sun Sentinel, citing a Pembroke Pines police incident report, identified the pilot as Marcelo Andrade, the owner of Sky Helicopter Tour, which operates out of North Perry.
The NTSB report section about the pilot and aircraft lists operating certificates held as “none.” The online FAA Airmen register does not appear to show an operating certificate under Andrade’s name. The company has not responded to questions from the Pembroke Pines News about the pilot’s license.
His passengers were aboard the helicopter as part of an anniversary outing after the dad’s wife and two other children had completed a separate sightseeing flight, the Sun Sentinel reported.
The crash comes as Broward County continues work on a study at North Perry Airport, a year after officials pledged to examine safety and environmental concerns at the county-owned facility.
Officials expect the safety study contract to be finalized in the coming weeks, with the selected consultant needing about a year to complete the review.
North Perry contains four runways, 12 flight schools and is about 511 acres, according to a 2025 fact sheet.
Since 2021, the NTSB has documented 11 aviation-related accidents in Pembroke Pines.
Most recently, a student pilot and her instructor were involved in a crash nearby on May 29 shortly after taking off from the airport, as the plane struggled to gain enough speed, according to an incident report.
The Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB continue to investigate the crash and have moved the craft to a secure location for further inspection.
