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

A helicopter crash in Tampa Bay nearly ended fatally until the pilot and all three passengers were rescued with the help of backup Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

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

“Let me tell you, helicopters descend very quickly,” Hupp told the Tampa Bay Times on Friday. “We learned that pretty quickly.”

A helicopter crash in Tampa Bay nearly ended fatally until the pilot and all three passengers were rescued with the help of backup Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Blaine Gabbert

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

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

They were considering swimming to shore when they were approached by two men on jet skis, one of whom turned out to be Gabbert.

Gabbert and his jet ski colleague got Hupp’s parents aboard their ships and somehow managed to get all four of them back to a nearby beach, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

“They slowly brought us back to shore, a sandy beach near the yacht club, and hung out for a while, were really nice,” Hupp said. “We exchanged pleasantries as we reached flat ground. They were really an asset in helping us because we were the only ones out there for a while. It was a handshake and a huge one and ‘thank you very much’. They were having a lovely afternoon trip and chanced upon a stranded helicopter family.’

A photo of the crashed helicopter that crashed in Tampa Bay Thursday night

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

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

Tampa police would arrive about five minutes later, but Gabbert and his friend managed to help the four victims avoid a potentially fatal situation by getting them ashore.

“We think about all the what-ifs,” said Hupp, who lives in Philadelphia and works in sales. “Obviously what happened wasn’t great, but we handled what happened pretty well.”

Hupp didn’t immediately know he was being saved by an NFL player, but upon receiving a description of Gabbert, he told the Times, “I think that was the one my mom clung to.”

“My mother said she was hoping to meet Tom Brady while we were down here,” he said. “I think she came damn close.”

The 33-year-old Gabbert is now in his 12th NFL season and fourth in Tampa, where he has not played this season. The former Missouri first-round pick also assisted Brady throughout the 2020 season, which ended with the Bucs winning a Super Bowl title.

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