Make California Post a Preferred Source A medical helicopter crash has left two dead, one missing and two injured after it went down in the ocean off Catalina Island.
The patient was confirmed late Wednesday as the missing person as the survivors were rescued and rushed to the mainland.
It comes as panicked dispatch audio described the crash from a witness, urgently telling the operator there were survivors.
The man said: “This is a helicopter crash by water. We do have survivors in the water.”
The cause of the crash is unclear, but the REACH Air Medical Services helicopter is known to have departed Oceanside in San Diego County at around 6:41 p.m. and landed on Catalina around 7:04 p.m.
Just under an hour later, the helicopter crashed after it took off from a helipad at Pebbly Beach, around a mile from Avalon.
The identities of the victims have not been released. It is unclear why the patient was being transported, but the person appears to have needed medical help on mainland California.
Rescuers said search weather conditions were ideal, but wreckage from the crash is making the search effort tougher.
“Conditions right now are actually calm on scene, so I would call them ideal search conditions,” US Coast Guard Cmdr. Mark Leahey said.
“But there is a lot of debris from the crash. There is some fuel in the water also from the helicopter. But our crews train for this, so we’re ready for the response.”
A spokesperson for the medical helicopter company said: “At this time, we are gathering information and coordinating with emergency responders and authorities.
“Our immediate concern is for the well-being of those involved.”
LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents Catalina Island, said she was aware of the crash.
“I have been informed that a medevac helicopter leaving Catalina Island has crashed shortly after takeoff,” she wrote on X.
“LA County Fire, Sheriff, Coast Guard, and Avalon Fire are on the scene. Search and rescue operations are underway and I am praying for everyone who was on board.”
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