Medical Helicopter Crashes Off California Coast, Killing Two and Leaving One Missing

A medical helicopter has crashed into the sea off the coast of Los Angeles, California, leaving two people dead and two others injured, while another person remains missing.
The helicopter went down shortly after taking off from Santa Catalina Island, a popular tourist destination located about 22 miles (35 kilometres) from the Los Angeles harbour area.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn confirmed the incident, saying the medevac helicopter had crashed shortly after departing the island. She said search and rescue teams were working to locate those on board.
Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel and other emergency agencies responded to reports of the crash at about 7:53pm local time on Wednesday, according to LA County Fire Engineer Jonathan Torres.
Torres said four of the five people aboard had been located. Two survivors were taken to hospitals on the mainland and were reported to be in stable condition, while two people were confirmed dead at the scene.
“There is still one outstanding,” Torres said, referring to the remaining missing person. He added that search and rescue operations were continuing.
Medical transport company REACH Air Medical Services confirmed to local broadcaster KABC that one of its helicopters was involved in the incident. The company had not provided further details at the time of the report.
The crash comes about a year after another REACH medical helicopter accident in California. In October 2025, one of the company’s helicopters crashed onto a California highway, critically injuring all three people aboard. One of those injured later died.
Authorities are continuing efforts to locate the missing person and determine what caused the helicopter to crash into the sea.