Two killed, two hospitalised and one missing in medical helicopter crash in California’s Catalina island

A medical helicopter carrying a patient crashed into the sea near Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles on Wednesday night, killing two people and leaving two others hospitalised. Authorities were still searching on Thursday for a fifth person believed to have been aboard.

The aircraft went down shortly after taking off from Catalina Island, striking the water a short distance from shore, according to Coast Guard Captain Stacey Crecy. The Coast Guard, firefighters and divers from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department continued search operations through Thursday.

Crecy said the helicopter was transporting a patient from the island to the mainland for further medical treatment.

Relatives of the missing passenger told US media that she was being flown off the island after suffering an allergic reaction. Her 20-year-old son was reportedly travelling with her to help with translation.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the two people who died were the male pilot and a female nurse. Another medic and a fourth passenger, a man, survived and were taken to hospitals in stable condition.

The helicopter’s operator, Sacramento-based REACH Air Medical Services, confirmed that two members of its crew were killed and another was recovering in hospital.

“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 on Catalina Island for those who died.

Investigation under way

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and identified the aircraft as a Eurocopter EC-135-P2.

NTSB investigators were expected to conduct physical inspections at the crash site before the wreckage was recovered and taken to a secure facility for further examination.

Authorities said the helicopter was submerged in roughly 70 metres of water off Catalina Island, which lies about 35 kilometres from the California mainland.

Emergency crews were called to the crash shortly before 20:00 local time on Wednesday. Four people were pulled from the water, with two pronounced dead at the scene and two others transported to mainland hospitals.

The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.

Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed that the helicopter arrived on Catalina Island shortly after 19:00 following a 24-minute flight from an airport in Oceanside.

Recent helicopter crashes in California

The Catalina Island crash comes less than two weeks after a firefighting helicopter crashed in Yosemite National Park, killing two pilots. Two weeks earlier, a news helicopter also crashed in Los Angeles, killing two people.