The incident occurred in Boynton Beach, Fla., on Monday, March 23
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/2-Dead-After-Helicopter-Crashes-into-Warehouse-Roof-032426-fa57bc2df95c4577833b27d16b6b7131.jpg "2 Dead After Helicopter Crashes into Warehouse Roof:")
Credit: CBS Miami/YouTube
NEED TO KNOW
- A Robinson R44 helicopter crashed into a vacant warehouse in Boynton Beach killing both occupants on board
- The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash
- Witnesses reported the helicopter nosedived into the roof which collapsed but no workers were inside at the time
Two people have died after a helicopter crashed into the roof of a warehouse in Florida.
On Monday, March 23, the Boynton Beach Police and the Boynton Beach Fire Rescue Department confirmed in a joint post on Facebook that they received a report of a small helicopter crash just before 12:30 p.m.
“Upon arrival, crews located a small helicopter that had crashed into a vacant warehouse. There are no survivors,” officials shared. “The Federal Aviation Administration has assumed the investigation.”
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that there were two occupants inside the Robinson R44 helicopter when it crashed.
“The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation and will provide further updates,” the FAA said.
PEOPLE reached out to the Boynton Beach Police, the Boynton Beach Fire Rescue Department, the City of Boynton Beach, the Federal Aviation Administration and Palm Beach Helicopters' flight school for further comment but didn’t immediately receive responses.
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The warehouse was unoccupied at the time of the incident, according to Sun Sentinel, The Palm Beach Post and WPTV.
In a press conference, per WPBF 25 News, Boynton Beach Battalion Chief Matt Oxendine said, “I don't know if they were trying to land or not. That's just where they ended up, on one of the roofs, and went through. It's a lightweight truss roof, so it actually crashed through it.”
He added that there was no smoke or fire after the crash.
“Usually, you would see it from far away,” he said. “We actually got dispatched to the next neighborhood over, and we had to come and search and find it.”
Oxendine also confirmed that while workers were present, none of them were inside the warehouse at the time of the crash.
Rhett Savidge was driving nearby when he witnessed the helicopter crashing into the warehouse, per Sun Sentinel.
“It just nosedived right into the roof, and it punched a hole in the roof,” he told the outlet.
The warehouse was built in 2025, with a market value of around $24.2 million, The Palm Beach Post cited Palm Beach County property records.
The helicopter was also owned by the Palm Beach Helicopters flight school, according to the outlet.