Reach Air Medical Services helicopter [Credit: U.S. Air Force/Kenneth Abbate]
Key Takeaways:
A medevac helicopter crashed off Catalina Island on Wednesday night, resulting in the deaths of the pilot, flight nurse, and 45-year-old patient, Catalina Hernandez.
The patient's 24-year-old son and a 49-year-old paramedic survived the crash, with the paramedic sustaining a broken leg.
The helicopter, operated by Reach Air Medical Services, was found largely intact 218 feet deep, and the NTSB and FAA are investigating the accident.
Authorities have recovered the body of the patient aboard the medevac helicopter that crashed off Catalina Island on Wednesday night.
The patient, identified as 45-year-old Catalina Hernandez, a resident of the island, was being transported to a Los Angeles-area hospital after experiencing an allergic reaction.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
![Reach Air Medical Services helicopter [Credit: U.S. Air Force/Kenneth Abbate]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/1000w_q95-3.webp)
