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REACH Air medical (CALSTAR partner) crash in Sacramento Oct 6 2025

NorCalBusa

NorCalBusa

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In stunning news, the REACH medial helicopter from Redding had just delivered its' patient at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, close to Hwy 99/Hwy 50. It launched and in less than a minute or two- crashed on Hwy 50 with three crew members on board (pilot, nurse, paramedic). All remain in critical condition 24 hrs later.

An off duty firefighter witnessed the crash and got a dozen other bystanders to help lift the helicopter so a crew member could be extracted from underneath it. Folks jumped right in and got it done.

I dropped by CALSTAR 2 base in Gilroy this morning and things were pretty somber. No real news we haven't heard/seen on TV. There's video of the descent and after-crash on social media, doesn't serve to post them here. Please keep the crews in your thoughts and prayers- they need some good juju to be sure.
 
I've witnessed a helicopter crash, it is not a pretty sight. I hope the crew recovers fully. I wonder what happened, probably mechanical but could also be environmental.
 
The people in those helicopters are pure rockstars.
Anyone spending anytime near a race track understands this.
What an awful thing to happen to those that put themselves at risk for the greater good.
The story about the 12 volunteers to help lift the wreckage actually choked me up.
Strong healing vibes are being sent from me.
 
Glad all of the crew members survived the crash!
Bystanders helping lift body off of one of the crew members was heart warming.

Amazing that nobody was killed in this crash, the crew probably did everything they could to protect the people on the ground. There is no other way for this outcome. Great courage!
 
I saw the video this morning and it appeared that the pilot was attempting to land. Scary scene and I hope that all involved recover.
 
Looks like an auto rotation/ power loss. The bird's silent after it passes the cameraperson. A BARFer is normally on this unit. I'm glad they weren't on it this time. Lofty Prayers for the crew who was.
 
tuxumino said:
I've witnessed a helicopter crash, it is not a pretty sight. I hope the crew recovers fully. I wonder what happened, probably mechanical but could also be environmental.
Click to expand...
Or human. We don't yet know, though there are plenty of kibitzers on social media, who may not have ever sat in a parked helicopter, full of ideas.
 
blancolirio did a good video on it, looks like loss of power shortly after take off and they clipped a power line on their approach to emergency landing on hwy 50

 
I get to watch two med copters fly from their respective hangers from Cottonwood's airfield.
They are busy almost every day, sometimes fly over me, low, The Ying.
Short hops to the hospital, or heading out of the valley.
I haven't seen any med helo's in Sedona, don't know if they fly out of there, too.

This vid of the Sacto crash, The Yang
 
REACH press release a few minutes ago;

Our team members remain hospitalized, and we want to assure everyone that they are receiving the very best care. We know this is a difficult time for their families, friends, and colleagues, and our thoughts are with them as we hope for healing and recovery.
The individuals involved are:
• Pilot Chad Millward, who is in critical yet stable condition;
• Flight Paramedic Margaret "DeDe" Davis, who is likewise critical but stable; and
• Flight Nurse Susan "Suzie" Smith, who remains in critical and unstable condition.
On behalf of our crew, their families and REACH, we extend heartfelt thanks to the bystanders who helped during their rescue. We deeply appreciate those who became first responders by supporting our flight crews during their time of need and showed exceptional courage during this crucial moment.
Regarding the accident itself, it is standard aviation protocol for all inquiries to be handled directly by the NTSB. This is essential to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, and therefore we encourage all questions related to the incident to be directed to them.
 
Pilot Chad Millward has a distinguished 24 year career at CHP, prior to coming to REACH.

Yeah, he won awards flying for CHP;

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AirMed pilots are some of the best in the world. Many times, they're flying into inclement weather at night in between mountains with gusting winds. And they do this regularly. They've got to have the most landings of anything out there, per hour of flight time.
 
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