FORT WORTH, Texas -- Investigators hope to recover a helicopter that crashed into a North Texas lake in order to find clues as to why it went down.

A family of three was on board the aircraft when it went down Sunday morning after the pilot reported engine trouble, authorities said. The family had left Dallas and were headed out for a private landing strip in Payne Springs when it went down in Cedar Creek Lake in Henderson County.

Several people witnessed the crash and pulled the three survivors, a man, woman and child, from the water using their personal watercraft.

"The guy that was the helicopter pilot was actually a surgeon, so he was pretty calm. The wife was injured the worst and the boy was freaking out," said crash witness Glen Hummel.

The crash victims were then transported to area hospitals. The man and child were both taken by CareFlite to hospitals in Dallas. The woman was taken to the East Texas Medical Center in Athens.

The injuries to the crash victims were reported to be minor.

The helicopter is 27 feet below the surface at the bottom of the lake and is believed to be leaking fuel.

A preliminary investigation shows the helicopter lost power. The FAA is investigating the crash.