Second helicopter discovered in Lake Apopka where pilot was rescued on Tuesday

APOPKA, Fla. - The day after a helicopter crash-landed in Lake Apopka, a second helicopter that seemingly crash-landed was also found in the lake.

A private company was out at the lake Wednesday morning to recover the crashed helicopter from Tuesday when team members found another helicopter, according to a spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff's Office.  

Orange County's marine unit was out at the lake to make sure no one was inside the second helicopter. A captain told FOX 35 News that no one was inside the helicopter when crews reached it.

The pilot of that helicopter has been reached and is safe, a spokesperson said.

(FOX 35 Orlando)

Initially, officials did not know when the second helicopter crashed in the lake or how long it had been there. But, Wednesday afternoon, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said the second helicopter – with only a pilot on board – crashed around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. 

It is still unclear why either helicopter went down in Lake Apopka. Both the FAA and NTSB are investigating the crashes.

The first helicopter incident was reported around 7 a.m. Tuesday. Video from SKYFOX showed that helicopter upside down in the lake. 

Investigators said that helicopter was doing some agriculture operations in the area. People who live near the lake said the helicopter was spraying some sort of chemical to attack an invasive species of grass that was apparently growing in the lake.

Another boater rescued that pilot, who was also the sole person aboard, and brought them to shore. 

Both helicopters are registered to the same company out of Panama City, according to their tail numbers and FAA records.