A REACH Air Medical Services helicopter crashed into the ocean off Catalina Island near Avalon, California, shortly after takeoff on Wednesday, leaving two people dead, two hospitalised on the mainland and one person missing. The aircraft, identified in coverage as a Eurocopter EC-135-P2, was on a medical transport mission and is believed to have been carrying a patient for further care when it went down near Pebbly Beach.
Rescuers pulled four people from the water after the crash, while search-and-rescue teams continued through the night and into the next day for the missing person. The two survivors were reported in stable condition after being taken to hospital on the mainland. Local authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard said the wreckage was located underwater off the island, but the full casualty picture remained under review as efforts continued.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with the Federal Aviation Administration also involved. The cause was not immediately known. The crash has direct air-ambulance relevance for REACH, which operates medical evacuation flights across the western United States.