2 killed in Boynton Beach helicopter crash ID'd as radio call reveals engine problem

A helicopter that crashed into a Boynton Beach warehouse on Monday killing the two people on board was apparently experiencing an engine problem before going down, according to a newly obtained air traffic control radio transmission.

“We’re gonna be landing out here in one of these fields, we’ve got something going on with the helicopter,” a person on board said in the 43-second radio call obtained by NBC6 on Tuesday.

Someone listening in apparently didn’t hear what he said, and another person is heard explaining the situation.

“He said he’s gonna be landing in one of the fields, there’s a problem with his engine,” the other person says.

The incident happened around 12:30 p.m. Monday when the Robinson R44 helicopter crashed into a vacant warehouse near the 3800 block of South Congress Avenue, Boynton Beach Police and Federal Aviation Administration officials said.

Aerial footage from Chopper 6 showed the wreckage of the helicopter sticking out of the roof of the large warehouse.

The two people who were on board didn’t survive, police said.

Authorities identified them as 28-year-old Alejandro Carrasco of West Palm Beach and 52-year-old Bryan Menna of Michigan.

FAA records showed the helicopter belongs to Palm Beach Helicopters, a flight school in Lantana.

The owner of the school said the two people who died were on a training flight. Police said Carrasco was the instructor and Menna was the student.

Records from flight tracking service FlightAware showed the plane had left Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport before crashing, but officials haven’t confirmed that information.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators were expected to arrive Tuesday to the scene to begin documenting the site and examining the helicopter, officials said.