Avalon, United States: Three people were killed and two others survived after a REACH Air Medical Services Eurocopter EC135 crashed into the Pacific Ocean shortly after taking off from Santa Catalina Island, California, on September 30, 2026. The victims were the pilot Steven “Steve” Robinson, flight nurse Jessica deVries and patient Catalina Hernandez, while Hernandez’s son and another REACH crew member survived.
The helicopter went down off Pebbly Beach near Avalon at about 7:45–7:50 p.m. PDT while carrying five people on a medical flight to the mainland. The aircraft was later located on the ocean floor in about 218 feet of water. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, and no cause has been established.
The helicopter had earlier departed the Oceanside Fire Department helipad in San Diego County at about 6:40 p.m. and reached Catalina Island around 7:04 p.m., according to flight-tracking data. It was operated by REACH Air Medical Services, which provides air-medical transportation as part of Global Medical Response.
The aircraft was preparing to leave Catalina Island for the mainland when it crashed shortly after takeoff near the Pebbly Beach helipad, about a mile from Avalon. The Los Angeles County Fire Department received the initial emergency report at about 7:43 p.m., while the Coast Guard received a report from county lifeguards at approximately 7:50 p.m.
Five people were aboard: the pilot, two medical crew members, Hernandez and her son. Hernandez was being transported for additional medical treatment after suffering an allergic reaction, her family said. Her son accompanied her and survived the crash.
Emergency responders found four people in the water. Two were taken for medical treatment and two others, the pilot and a nurse, were pronounced dead after rescue crews attempted to revive them. Hernandez remained missing until October 1, when divers recovered her body from the wreckage.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department, the Sheriff’s Department, Avalon emergency crews and the US Coast Guard launched a large search-and-rescue operation in the dark waters off the island.
The Coast Guard diverted an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Ventura and launched a 45-foot response boat from Station Los Angeles-Long Beach. Additional Coast Guard, fire, sheriff’s and Baywatch resources joined the operation.
Coast Guard Capt. Stacey Crecy said, “We believe that the medical aircraft was transporting a person off the island for additional medical care on the mainland.”
The wreckage was located on the seabed at approximately 218 feet. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said dive teams had located the helicopter, while Sheriff Robert Luna said authorities initially did not know whether the missing woman was still inside.
The search continued overnight and through October 1. Coast Guard and partner agencies ultimately covered more than 156 square miles during about 23 hours of searching.
At about 5:44 p.m. on October 1, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department divers located a body inside the helicopter wreckage.
The Coast Guard said the divers had “discovered a body matching the description of the missing individual in the wreckage.” The recovery ended the search for the fifth person aboard and brought the death toll to three.
The victim was identified by relatives as 45-year-old Catalina Hernandez of Avalon. Her family said she had been transported after suffering an allergic reaction to shrimp. Her son survived and was receiving hospital treatment for injuries including broken bones.
Reports from Hernandez’s family said she had moved from Mexico to the United States with her sister in 1999 and had three children. Witness accounts reported that she was still secured to a medical gurney when the helicopter went into the water, although authorities did not independently confirm that detail.
REACH Air Medical Services later identified its two deceased crew members as pilot Steven “Steve” Robinson and flight nurse Jessica deVries.
DeVries was 48. Robinson was a former US Marine Corps helicopter pilot who later flew Marine One in support of a former US president before joining REACH as a medevac pilot, according to the company’s statement.
REACH also identified the surviving crew member as flight nurse Brad Sparks, who remained under medical care after the crash. Hernandez’s son was the other survivor.
REACH said, “We remain profoundly grateful to every responder, agency and community partner who moved with urgency in the minutes following the crash,” while confirming that it was supporting the affected families and its employees.
The company had initially said it was gathering information and coordinating with emergency responders, adding, “Our thoughts are with the families, loved ones and colleagues affected by this tragedy.”
The Coast Guard said its response involved multiple agencies and credited Los Angeles County partners with helping maintain a coordinated search and recovery effort.
Capt. Stacey Crecy, commander of Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, said, “We are grateful for the professionalism, coordination and dedication of our Los Angeles County partners,” while expressing sympathy for the victims’ families.
The response involved Coast Guard Air Station San Diego, Air Station Ventura, the Coast Guard cutter Halibut, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Port Police and Baywatch crews from Avalon, Cabrillo and Isthmus.
Oceanside Fire Chief Jessamyn Specht said the aircraft’s crew had longstanding ties to the department and that the helicopter had been based at the department’s training center for more than a decade.
“It’s a gut punch,” Specht said. “To hear it hit so close to home, it hurt.” Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn also said the people aboard had dedicated their careers to saving lives and described the crash as a terrible loss for Catalina and Los Angeles County.
As of October 3, the confirmed outcome is three fatalities and two survivors. The recovery operation has ended, while the investigation into why the REACH medical helicopter crashed shortly after departing Catalina Island remains ongoing.
