POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Frantic 911 calls captured the horrifying moment a helicopter burst into flames and plummeted into a Pompano Beach apartment complex, claiming the lives of a Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue captain and a bystander sitting in her home.
The calls started pouring into the Broward Sheriff’s Office just after 8:45 a.m. on Monday.
“There’s a helicopter with the whole tail on fire flying over I-95 and Cyprus Creek Boulevard,” one caller reported.
“It’s a helicopter, looks like a medic helicopter, a red one, the whole back end on fire, and it doesn’t look like he’s landing anytime soon,” said another caller.
People driving on Interstate 95 recorded the helicopter as it went into a tailspin.
Inside the helicopter, someone alerted a dispatcher.
“We’re having mechanical issues of all types. We’re headed back to our station,” the caller said.
“It was a helicopter on fire, and it just broke in half in the sky and fell probably 1,000 feet,” another caller said. “It looks like they were going back to Pompano Airport and they didn’t make it. It was not a controlled fall. It broke in half and fell out of the sky.”
As emergency responders raced to the scene, a distraught caller struggled to pinpoint the exact address of the crash.
“I’m not entirely sure, I’m standing at Pompano Beach, just west of the airport,” they said. “A helicopter just crashed. It went down in a residential area.”
The black smoke could be seen for miles.
“Yeah, it was on fire, it fell out of the sky,” a called said. “I looked up and noticed it. I actually got a video of it, but yeah, it was on fire, and it broke in half and fell out of the sky. There’s a massive fire right in front of my apartment complex.”
The fiery crash left BSFR Capt. Terryson Jackson and 65-year-old Lurean Wheaton dead.
Wheaton was sitting inside her apartment when the helicopter spiraled down into the residential complex.
“Oh, big explosion, big explosion,” a caller said.
“More explosions? Are you close enough to see exactly where it landed?” asked the dispatcher.
“Oh, my God. It’s about 100 yards east of Dixie [Highway],” the caller said. “It just blew up. Something just blew up. I just heard it; the whole ground shook. Oh, I can see the fire. Oh, geez, the fire is massive now. I’m sorry to your family, ma’am.”
The caller apologized when he realized a BSFR employee was likely inside and didn’t make it out.
The loss of Jackson and Wheaton has left their community and family in mourning.
Additionally, four people were injured as a result of the crash.
The other two occupants inside the chopper kicked out its window and climbed out onto the roof of the building.
Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the circumstances surrounding the helicopter crash, vowing to analyze the wreckage and review surveillance footage of the incident. The objective is to determine the root cause that led to the helicopter’s fateful descent.
Jackson leaves behind a 29-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter, who now must grapple with the immense loss of their father.
Funeral arrangements for both Jackson have yet to be announced as his loved ones and community members come to terms with the profound impact of this tragic event.
A Gofundme for Wheaton was created by her niece to assist with the moving of her body to South Carolina, as well as funeral expenses.
If you’d like to donate, click here
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.