Two people were killed, 2 others were hospitalized and a fifth person remains missing after a REACH Air Medical Services helicopter crashed into the ocean off Catalina Island in Southern California Wednesday night.
Los Angeles County officials and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to the crash at about 7:53 p.m. off Pebbly Beach. Four of the 5 people aboard were recovered from the water, with 2 pronounced dead at the scene and 2 others taken to hospitals in stable condition.
The fifth person remains missing as crews continue searching the area. Oceanside Fire Chief Jessamyn Specht said the helicopter’s pilot was among those killed, while authorities have not released the names of those aboard, according to FOX 5.
The aircraft was an Airbus H135 operated by REACH Air Medical Services. The helicopter was departing Catalina Island and heading toward the mainland while transporting a patient.
Coast Guard crews and local agencies deployed boats, aircraft and divers during the search. An underwater remotely operated vehicle was also used to search for the wreckage, which was located about 250 feet underwater, according to the NYT.
The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified and will lead the investigation into what caused the crash.
What led to the crash and what caused the helicopter to go down remain unknown.
The Oceanside Police and Fire Departments said the REACH crew was part of the public safety community in Oceanside, where REACH 16 had been based for more than a decade at the Oceanside Fire Department Training Center.
“No Oceanside Fire or Police personnel were aboard the aircraft,” the departments said, while extending their condolences to the victims’ families and the REACH community.
The search for the missing person and investigation into the crash remain ongoing.