A medical helicopter carrying five people crashed into the Pacific Ocean just seconds after taking off from Catalina Island on Wednesday evening, killing two crew members and leaving a patient missing in 240 feet of water. The crash has triggered a massive multi-agency search effort and renewed scrutiny of medical transport safety over the California coast.
The Eurocopter EC135 P2, operated by REACH Air Medical Services, went down shortly before 8 p.m. on September 30 near Pebbly Beach, about a mile from Avalon on Santa Catalina Island. The helicopter was transporting a patient from the island’s small medical facility to the mainland for treatment.
What Happened at Catalina Island?
The helicopter departed from Catalina’s Pebbly Beach heliport and was bound for the mainland when it crashed into the water. Flight tracking data showed the aircraft reached approximately 175 feet above sea level about eight seconds into its flight before rapidly descending.
Emergency dispatchers received a distress call at 7:43 p.m. from Baywatch Avalon personnel reporting the crash. Audio recordings of the emergency broadcast captured the urgency of the moment: “We have a helicopter down right off of Pebbly Beach. We need Baywatch Avalon by boat. We’ve got a helicopter with potentially three people on board… We have people screaming for help”.
Rescuers pulled four people from the water. Two were pronounced dead at the scene, and two were transported to mainland hospitals in stable condition. The fifth person, the patient being transported, remained missing through Thursday.
Latest Update on Passengers and Victims
The five people aboard included a pilot, a nurse, a medic, the patient, and a fifth person who was later identified as the patient’s son.
Deaths and Injuries: The two people killed were identified by authorities as the male pilot and a female nurse, both REACH crew members. REACH Air Medical Services confirmed that two of its crew members died and a third was recovering at a hospital. The medic suffered serious injuries, while one passenger sustained minor injuries, according to preliminary information from the FAA.
The Missing Patient: The missing person was identified by family members as 45-year-old Catalina Hernandez, a longtime Avalon resident and mother of three. Family members said she was being airlifted after suffering an allergic reaction to shrimp she ate. Her 20-year-old son, who was aboard to help translate, was injured in the crash and hospitalized with broken bones.
The Coast Guard confirmed the missing person was the patient being evacuated to the mainland. On Thursday evening, the Los Angeles County Fire Department announced that the missing person had been located shortly before 6:30 p.m. and was in the custody of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.
Search and Recovery Operations
The search for the missing patient covered more than 130 square nautical miles by Thursday afternoon, according to Coast Guard Capt. Stacey Crecy. The Coast Guard deployed an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, a 45-foot response boat, and a submersible watercraft to assist with underwater searches.
The helicopter was located under approximately 218 to 240 feet of water. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said a lifeguard rescue team had located the wreckage, but crews could not immediately determine if the missing woman was inside.
Aviation attorney Mike Slack noted that the missing person most likely went down with the helicopter, because patients are strapped to their gurney during medical transports for safety.
The Aircraft and Operator
The helicopter was a Eurocopter EC135 P2, a twin-engine aircraft commonly used for emergency medical services. It was operated by REACH Air Medical Services, a Sacramento-based company owned by Global Medical Response.
The aircraft had departed from the Oceanside Fire Department heliport earlier that evening and arrived on Catalina Island before crashing on the return trip. The crew had long-standing ties to the Oceanside Fire Department, with the helicopter based at the agency’s training center for more than a decade.
Oceanside Fire Chief Jessamyn Specht described the loss in stark terms: “It’s a gut punch. To hear it hit so close to home, it hurt”.
Investigation Underway
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash. NTSB investigators arrived at the scene on Thursday to document the site and examine the helicopter once recovery efforts are complete.
“It is very early in the investigation, and limited information is available at this time,” an NTSB spokesperson said. The aircraft will be transported to a secure facility for further evaluation after recovery.
The cause of the crash remains unknown. Airbus Helicopters, the manufacturer, confirmed the aircraft was an EC135 P2+ and said it is supporting the NTSB investigation.
A Pattern of Recent Crashes
The Catalina crash came amid a troubling stretch of fatal helicopter accidents in California. It occurred just 11 days after a firefighting helicopter went down in Yosemite National Park, killing two pilots, and two weeks after a news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles, killing two others.
The incident also marked the second REACH helicopter accident in a year. In October 2025, another REACH helicopter was involved in a separate crash on a Sacramento freeway.
What Comes Next
REACH Air Medical Services said its focus remains on supporting the families of the deceased and injured crew members. “In the days ahead, our focus will remain on caring for our people, supporting their families and honouring the lives and service of those we have lost,” the company said in a statement.
A memorial service was held Thursday on Catalina Island to honor the victims. The island community of Avalon, home to roughly 4,000 residents, is served by a single small hospital that transports about 250 people to the mainland by helicopter each year for medical treatment.
For the families of those aboard, the crash has left a community in mourning and questions that will take months to answer. The NTSB’s investigation is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, with a preliminary report likely in the coming weeks.
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