Catalina Medevac Helicopter Down — 2 Dead, 2 Stable, 1 Still Missing 🙏

Just after 7:50 p.m. Wednesday, a REACH Air Medical Services helicopter went into the water off Pebbly Beach, about a mile from Avalon, seconds after takeoff. Five people were aboard. LA County Fire, the Sheriff’s Department, Avalon Fire, and the Coast Guard all rolled.

Overnight the picture got clearer, and it is a hard one. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene. Two were pulled from the water and taken to mainland hospitals in stable condition, including Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. One person is still missing. Officials say that missing person is the patient who was being flown off the island.

The ship was an Airbus H-135. Tracking shows it came up from Oceanside, landed on Catalina around 7:04 p.m., then lifted off again around 7:46 p.m., climbed only to about 175 feet, and went down. The wreckage is sitting in about 240 feet of water. Coast Guard called the sea calm — good search conditions — but there is debris and fuel on the surface. The NTSB is investigating. No cause yet. No names released.

REACH said their first concern is the people on that aircraft. Supervisor Janice Hahn asked for prayers for everyone who was aboard. I am asking the same.

These are the waters a lot of us cross. Medevac crews are the ones who come when a trip goes wrong. Keep the families, the crew, and the crews still searching in your prayers this morning. I will update you when there is more.

Check http://friedmanadventures.com for Captain’s audios, landing and boat counts, bait, and the rest of the Friedman Adventures family. Next Friedman Adventures Surf Fishing Festival is Saturday, October 24, at Anderson Street and PCH in Sunset Beach.

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