Man killed, woman hurt after helicopter crashes into SW Miami-Dade canal

MIAMI -- It was after 1 p.m. when a chopper went down a few miles west of Miami Executive Airport in a canal near 187th Avenue and SW 122nd Street. 

People nearby noticed trouble. "We just saw a chopper very low, directly behind where it happened," said Vivian Alvarez

Police quickly got 911 calls about a helicopter going down.

"The original calls that came in from 911 were stating that they saw what appeared to be a helicopter spinning and falling. That's when units immediately responded to the scene," said Miami-Dade Police Spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta.

As fire rescue crews arrived on the scene, they got word that someone made it out of the water. We see that woman on a stretcher using her phone

"According to witnesses there was as female that came out of the water, that's when the divers went in to search of an additional person still inside the helicopter," Zabaleta said.

Those divers were able to pull a man from the water. Despite efforts to save him - he did not survive.

"They were both transported to a local hospital unfortunately the male succumbed to his injuries. The female is expected to survive," police said.

Of note in this crass, we are not able to see the wreckage beneath the surface.

"It's deep enough that if you approach the embankment you're not able to see the aircraft at all. So it appears to be pretty deep," Zabaleta said.

The NTSB and FAA will investigate what caused the chopper to go down. Miami-Dade police, meanwhile, will investigate the death.

No names have been released. 

CBS News Miami is waiting for confirmation on where the chopper was coming from and where it was going.