4 people hospitalized after helicopter crashes near Catalina Island, tell me about this news in (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/4-people-hospitalized-after-helicopter-crashes-near-catalina-island/ar-AA2djlA9?ocid=BingNewsVerp)
01-10-2026
On Wednesday night, September 30, 2026, a medical helicopter operated by Reach Air Medical Services crashed into the ocean shortly after taking off from Santa Catalina Island, California.
Emergency crews from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the LA County Sheriff’s Department, Avalon Fire, and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to reports of the downed aircraft around 7:50–7:55 p.m.
According to officials:
Five people were on board the helicopter.
Four individuals were rescued from the water and hospitalized. Two patients were transported to a local hospital on Catalina Island, while two others were flown to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on the mainland.
Search and rescue operations immediately deployed divers, boats, and aircraft to locate the fifth person who was initially unaccounted for following the impact.
Flight tracking data indicated the helicopter had previously flown from Oceanside in San Diego County to Catalina Island before crashing shortly after its subsequent departure.