Two killed, one missing after medical helicopter crashes off Catalina Island
Two people were killed and another remained missing on October 1, 2026, after a REACH Air Medical Services helicopter crashed into the ocean shortly after departing California’s Catalina Island the previous evening.
The helicopter was carrying five people on a medical transport flight to Los Angeles when it went down near Pebbly Beach, outside Avalon, shortly before 20:00 local time on September 30.
Rescuers recovered four people from the water. Two were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were taken to mainland hospitals in stable condition, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The missing person was the patient being transported from the island, said Coast Guard Cmdr. Mark Leahy.
Search crews worked through the night and continued looking for the missing person on October 1. The response included the US Coast Guard, Los Angeles County firefighters, sheriff’s divers and Avalon emergency personnel.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) identified the helicopter as a Eurocopter EC135 P2 and said it was investigating. Authorities reported that the aircraft was submerged in approximately 240 feet of water.
REACH confirmed that one of its helicopters was involved and said it was coordinating with emergency responders and authorities.
The accident follows a separate REACH helicopter crash on a Sacramento freeway in October 2025. A flight nurse later died from injuries sustained in that accident, according to REACH.The post Two killed, one missing after medical helicopter crashes off Catalina Island appeared first on AeroTime.
Two people were killed and another remained missing on October 1, 2026, after a REACH Air Medical Services…
The post Two killed, one missing after medical helicopter crashes off Catalina Island appeared first on AeroTime.
