Medical-Flight Helicopter Crashes Off Catalina, Killing Two
On Wednesday night, the U.S. Coast Guard launched a high-priority effort to try to find a missing individual from a medical-flight helicopter that crashed shortly after taking off from Catalina Island.
Two people were killed in the crash, including the pilot, per the Oceanside Fire Department. Two occupants of the flight were saved and hospitalized in stable condition. The last individual aboard the helicopter remained missing as of Thursday. Initial reports indicated a total of three people aboard the aircraft, but this was incorrect and later revised upwards.
The aircraft's operator acknowledged the incident in a statement and confirmed that it is working with the authorities. It added that it could not currently provide further comments. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has joined the investigation.
The Coast Guard initially deployed an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew and a response boat out of LA/Long Beach. LA County's fire department joined the effort with assets from multiple locations.
The USCG said in a statement Thursday that the search has expanded to include a subsurface examination of the helicopter's wreckage, performed via ROV. The wreck sits in 240 feet of water, according to local media, a depth that adds risk and requires more skill for human divers to perform safely.
NTSB said in an emailed statement to local KTLA that there are plans in motion to recover the wreckage of the helicopter from the bottom for the purposes of the investigation.
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The personnel aboard the medical flight helicopter were private-sector employees, but were closely linked to the first-responder community.
“The [helicopter] crew has trained alongside us, shared our space, and answered calls across our region for years,” Oceanside Fire Chief Jessamyn Specht said in a statement. “They are part of our family, and this loss is felt very deeply here.”
