Three people who died after a medical helicopter crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island have now been identified, as investigators work to determine what caused the aircraft to go down shortly after takeoff.
The crash happened Wednesday evening, Sept. 30, near Pebbly Beach, shortly after the REACH Air Medical Services helicopter departed Catalina Island for the mainland. Five people were aboard the aircraft.
The victims were identified as pilot Steven “Steve” Robinson, flight nurse Jessica deVries, 48, and patient Catalina Hernandez, 45.
DeVries was a nurse aboard the medical transport flight. REACH Air Medical Services said Robinson and DeVries were members of its air medical team and expressed condolences to their families, friends and colleagues.
Hernandez was being transported to the mainland after suffering an allergic reaction. Her family described her as a devoted mother who worked hard and cared deeply for her relatives.
“My aunt Catalina was an incredible mother,” her niece, Tanya Chaboya Hernandez, said. She also described Hernandez as a happy and hardworking person whose death had been difficult for the family to process.
Hernandez’s son was also aboard the helicopter and survived the crash. He was taken to a mainland hospital for treatment. Another member of the medical crew also survived and was hospitalized.
Search and recovery operation
Emergency crews began searching the waters near Catalina Island after the helicopter went down shortly before 7:50 p.m. Wednesday.
The U.S. Coast Guard, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were involved in the search. Crews spent hours looking for the missing passenger and the submerged aircraft.
Divers eventually located the helicopter on the ocean floor in roughly 218 feet of water. Hernandez’s body was later recovered from the wreckage, bringing the number of confirmed fatalities to three.
The search covered a large area around the crash site before authorities recovered the remaining victim.
Investigation into the crash
The helicopter was a Eurocopter EC135 P2 operated by REACH Air Medical Services. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident and examining the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The cause has not been established publicly. Investigators are expected to examine the aircraft, the flight path and other evidence as they work to determine what happened during the short flight from Catalina Island.
The crash has also drawn attention to the role medical helicopters play in transporting Catalina Island residents and visitors to mainland hospitals when treatment is not available locally.
For the families of those who died, however, the immediate focus remains on mourning their loved ones and supporting those who survived the crash.
