Police divers with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced Friday that they have recovered the body of a patient who was missing after a medical helicopter crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island. The recovery raises the death count from the crash to three, with two other occupants still receiving treatment for their injuries.
Search and recovery effort
After the helicopter went down shortly after take‑off, divers scoured more than 156 square miles (404 square kilometers) of ocean for 23 hours. The wreckage was located about 200 feet (60 meters) below the surface, and the victim’s body was found Thursday within the aircraft’s remains, according to a Coast Guard statement.
Who was on board
The Eurocopter EC‑135‑P2 was carrying five people: the male pilot, a female nurse, a medic, a man, and the patient who has now been identified as the deceased. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said officials have not yet released the victims’ names. He described the two who died as the pilot and the nurse, while noting that the medic and the fourth passenger, a man, were hospitalized in stable condition.
Relatives told ABC7 that the patient, a woman, was being flown from Catalina Island to the mainland for medical care after suffering an allergic reaction. Her 20‑year‑old son accompanied her to serve as a translator.
Operator response
REACH Air Medical Services of Sacramento, the operator of the aircraft, confirmed that two of its crew members died and a third crew member is recovering at a hospital. The company declined to provide further details, but released a statement saying, “In the days ahead, our focus will remain on caring for our people, supporting their families and honoring the lives and service of those we have lost.”
Investigation and context
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has opened an investigation into the crash. The cause of the accident remains unclear. The NTSB identified the aircraft as a Eurocopter EC‑135‑P2 and said it will be taken to a secure facility for evaluation.
This tragedy follows two recent helicopter incidents in California: a firefighting helicopter that crashed in Yosemite National Park eleven days ago, killing two pilots, and a news‑gathering helicopter that went down in Los Angeles two weeks ago, also resulting in two fatalities.
Community reaction
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn called the crash “a terrible tragedy” and praised the crew, saying, “The people who were on board dedicated their careers to saving lives. They are heroes.” A memorial service was held on Catalina Island to honor the victims.
Emergency personnel responded to the scene shortly before 8 p.m. on Wednesday. First responders pulled four people from the water that night; two were pronounced dead at the scene, and the remaining two were transported to mainland hospitals in stable condition.
The helicopter had departed from an airport in Oceanside after a 24‑minute flight and landed on Catalina Island shortly after 7 p.m., according to flight‑tracking data from Flightradar24.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
