A diver has recovered the body of a person who disappeared following a medical helicopter crash into the Pacific Ocean near Catalina Island, bringing the total number of deaths to three. The Coast Guard said in a statement that police divers from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department discovered the victim’s remains Thursday within the wreckage of the helicopter, after scouring more than 156 square miles over 23 hours.
ABC7 was told that a woman was being moved by air from Catalina Island to the mainland for medical attention following an allergic reaction. She brought her 20-year-old son along on the flight to serve as a translator. The pair were still inside the aircraft when it crashed into the water shortly after lifting off, according to officials, not far from the island.
The Search and the Wreckage
On Wednesday evening, rescuers pulled four individuals out of the water. Sheriff Robert Luna of Los Angeles County said the deceased have not yet been named. He identified the two dead as the male pilot and a female nurse. A second medic and a fourth person, a man, were taken to a hospital.
The National Transportation Safety Board is probing the incident, and Luna said the helicopter wreckage sat roughly 200 feet beneath the surface of the water. No cause has been determined yet.
REACH Air Medical Services of Sacramento confirmed that two of its crew members died and a third was recovering at a hospital. The company said it would not give further details.
“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.”
The people gathered on the island to hold a service for those who had died.
Other Recent Crashes
A firefighting helicopter went down in Yosemite National Park in California just 11 days before the Catalina crash, taking the lives of two pilots. Two weeks earlier, a news helicopter had crashed in Los Angeles, leaving two dead.
Emergency responders arrived at the Catalina crash site shortly before 8 p.m. on Wednesday. The Los Angeles County Fire Department said two people were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others, in stable condition, were transported to hospitals on the mainland.
A Eurocopter EC-135-P2 touched down on the island at roughly 7 p.m., arriving by way of a 24-minute trip from an airport in Oceanside, per Flightradar24’s flight tracking. The NTSB confirmed the aircraft’s identity, and a board spokesperson confirmed it will be moved to a secure location for examination.
The Operator’s Response
The firm REACH Air Medical Services put out a statement that made clear its main concern is for its people and their families. Further specifics about the accident have not been given by the company.
Janice Hahn, who serves on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, described the incident as a terrible tragedy.
“The people who were on board dedicated their careers to saving lives. They are heroes,” she said in a social media post.
What the Search Found
More than 156 square miles were covered during the search, which lasted 23 hours, before the missing patient’s body was found among the wreckage. The search took place over a large expanse of ocean waters near the coast of Catalina Island, where the helicopter crashed close to land.
The Death Toll
The toll from the crash stands at three deaths. Two victims were declared dead at the scene, while the third body was recovered from the wreckage on Thursday. A fourth person, a man, remains hospitalized.
Officials confirmed that the two people who lived through the accident are in stable condition. Luna added that investigators are still at work, and the cause of the crash remains unknown.
As the board has announced, the aircraft is headed to a secure facility where investigators will examine it.
Source material: “Divers find body of person missing from California helicopter crash that killed 2 others,” ABC13 Houston.
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