Tampa Baywatch! Jet-skiing Bucs QB Blaine Gabbert helps rescue four helicopter crash survivors

A helicopter crash in Tampa Bay nearly turned fatal, until the pilot and all three passengers were rescued with help from backup Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

Philadelphia salesman Hunter Hupp and his parents, Wes and Lisa, were aboard a helicopter on Thursday evening when the rotor made a loud noise, which was later determined to be caused by an engine failure. The pilot was quickly forced to make an emergency landing about 200 yards from Davis Islands, where Gabbert and other Bucs players, including Tom Brady, have residences.

‘Let me tell you, helicopters sink really fast,’ Hupp told the Tampa Bay Times on Friday. ‘We learned that rather quickly.’

A helicopter crash in Tampa Bay nearly turned fatal, until the pilot and all three passengers were rescued with help from backup Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Blaine Gabbert

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Hunter Hupp (right), a Philadelphia salesman, and his parents Wes and Lisa (background) were aboard a helicopter on Thursday evening when the rotor made a loud noise, which was later determined to be caused by an engine failure. The pilot was quickly forced to make an emergency landing about 200 yards from Davis Islands, where Gabbert and other Bucs players, including Tom Brady , have residences

While his parents and the pilot both made it out of the helicopter safely, Hupp struggled to free himself as the aircraft quickly began to take on water and sink. Ultimately he got out and began treading water with the other three.

They considered trying to swim for land when they were approached by two men on jet skis, one of whom turned out to be Gabbert.

Gabbert and his fellow jet ski rider put Hupp’s parents aboard their vessels and somehow managed to bring all four back to a nearby beach, as explained by the Tampa Bay Times.

‘They slowly brought us back to the shore, a sandy beach near the yacht club, and hung out for a while, were really nice,’ Hupp said. ‘We exchanged pleasantries upon reaching flat ground. They were really an asset to helping us out, because we were the only ones out there for a while. It was a handshake and a huge and ‘Thank you so much.’ They went out for a nice afternoon ride and just happened to come upon a stranded helicopter family.’

A photo of the crashed helicopter that went down in Tampa Bay on Thursday evening 

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Tampa Police are pictured on the scene of Thursday’s helicopter crash by Fox 13

Tampa Police are pictured on the scene of Thursday’s helicopter crash by Fox 13

Tampa Police would arrive roughly five minutes later, but Gabbert and his friend managed to help the four victims avoid a potentially fatal situation by bringing them to dry land.

‘We think about all the what-ifs,’ said Hupp, who lives in Philadelphia and works in sales. ‘What happened obviously wasn’t great, but we managed pretty well for what happened.’

Hupp did not immediately known that he was saved by an NFL player, but when given a description of Gabbert, told the Times: ‘I think that was the one my mom was clinging to.’

‘My mom said she was hoping to meet Tom Brady while we were down here,’ he said. ‘I think she came pretty darn close.’

The 33-year-old Gabbert is now in his 12th NFL season and fourth in Tampa, where he has yet to play this season. The former first-round pick out of Missouri also backed up Brady throughout the 2020 season, which ended with the Bucs winning a Super Bowl title.

Tampa Police are seen trying to recover the crashed helicopter after Thursday’s crash