Two people were killed, two were injured and a fifth person was missing after a medical transport helicopter based in Oceanside crashed Wednesday night off the coast of Catalina Island, authorities said.
The Eurocopter EC-135, a twin-engine chopper carrying a crew of REACH Air Medical Services, went down in the ocean shortly after taking off from Catalina while transporting a patient.
The aircraft departed a helipad at the Oceanside Fire Department Training Center around 6:40 p.m., landing on the island less than a half hour later.
Coast Guard officials said they were notified around 7:50 p.m. that it had crashed. The cause is under investigation.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Richard Uranga said the aircraft picked up a patient and a family member on Catalina before it went down. “We don’t know where on the mainland (the helicopter was heading), but it crashed into the water shortly after it took off,” Uranga said.
Oceanside police officials said in a statement posted to Facebook that the helicopter, dubbed REACH 16, had flown out of the Oceanside Fire Department Training Center for more than a decade. City personnel worked alongside the medical transport teams over the years.
“While no Oceanside Fire or Police personnel were aboard the aircraft, REACH crews have shared our facilities, trained alongside our first responders, and served communities throughout our region for years,” the post read.
“They are part of our public safety family, and this loss is felt deeply here in Oceanside. Our hearts are with everyone affected by this tragedy and with the entire REACH community during this incredibly difficult time.”
REACH Air Medical Services officials said in a statement posted to Facebook that they were aware of the crash and supporting the families and loved ones of those onboard the aircraft.
“This is an incredibly difficult situation, and our hearts are with everyone affected by this tragedy,” REACH said in the statement. “Today, we honor our colleagues who dedicated themselves to lifesaving work in service to others, and we grieve alongside the families and all those whose lives have been forever changed by this tragedy.”
Four people were recovered from the water; two were transferred to a hospital in Los Angeles and two were pronounced dead, the Coast Guard said.
Someone responding to the rescue effort said on the radio that the helicopter had crashed off of Pebbly Beach, about a mile east of Avalon on Catalina Island, according to a recording of the transmission.“We have three people calling for help, we do have survivors in the water,” the first responder says on the audio recording. “We have people screaming for help.”
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the two people who died were crew members, a flight crew member and a cabin crew member. Another cabin crew member was seriously injured, while a passenger had minor injuries.
The missing person was a passenger, the FAA said in a preliminary report. No one on the plane has been identified.
The National Transportation Safety Board sent investigators to the site to begin documenting the crash and said they will examine the aircraft once it is recovered. Authorities said the wreckage was believed to be submerged in about 240 feet of water off Catalina.
“After recovery, the aircraft will be transported to a secure facility for further evaluation,” the agency said on X.
The search continued Thursday afternoon for the missing person. Coast Guard personnel were being assisted by firefighters and divers from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
“We’re still doing an active search for the person who’s missing and then, in addition to that, the divers and the remote-operated vehicle are going to get a look at more of the wreckage and hopefully if there’s a sunken fuselage,” Coast Guard Capt. Stacey Crecy said in a news conference.
City News Service and The Associated Press contributed to this report.