Plane Went Down Last Week In Northern California

A Cal-Ore Life Flight Piper Cheyenne on a medical transport mission went down July 29 northeast of Arcata, CA, resulting in the fatal injury of all four people on board the aircraft. One of those was a patient.

In a statement released to the media, REACH Air Medical Services and Cal-Ore Life Flight said communication was lost early Friday morning when the aircraft heading from Crescent City Airport to Oakland International Airport went off radar northeast of the Arcata, CA. Search efforts were delayed due to the difficult terrain and weather and it was hours before the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office search and rescue teams were able to locate the crash site north of McKinleyville, CA. They initially reported two fatalities. It was later confirmed there were no survivors.

In addition to the patient, there were three Cal-Ore Life Flight personnel on board: Pilot Larry Mills, Flight Nurse Deborah Kroon, RN, CCRN, and Certified Flight Paramedic Michelle Tarwater, FP-C, NREMT-P. Family, friends and coworkers have provided some information about the crew that we have lost.

Pilot Larry Mills had more than 20 years of flying experience and was a volunteer first responder for 12 years. His wife, Trina, shared that Larry was kind, gentle and always smiling. He had been with Cal-Ore since April of this year.

Flight Nurse Deborah Kroon came to this country from New Zealand. She spent 25 years as a critical care nurse working in hospitals across the U.S. Those close to her said she was a free spirit who adored horses and her dog, Oscar. When she came to Del Norte County, she fell in love with the area. Deborah made Crescent City her home and was searching for some property to build her Wee cottage. She had been with Cal-Ore since October of 2014.

Certified Flight Paramedic Michelle Tarwater loved her noble work. She was especially proud to be one of the first in the region to receive National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians-Paramedic (NREMT-P) certification. Her mother said she knew Michelle would be a caregiver since the day she was born. Family and friends agree Michelle lived larger than life. She enjoyed gardening, fishing, hiking, camping and people, but there was nothing more important to her than her faith and her family. Michelle had been with Cal-Ore since 2011.

Due to privacy concerns for the family, the company cannot share any information about the patient at this time.

Upon confirmation of the accident, REACH President Sean Russell held a company-wide call with all employees to share the news. “This is one of the saddest moments in our history. First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the patient and our crewmembers.” Mr. Russell acknowledged the road ahead would be difficult for all involved. Memorial services for the crew are being planned for later this week.

The cause of the accident is unknown at this time. Mr. Russell added,

“We all have the same questions, but until we have factual reports from the NTSB, there is nothing more we can share.”

The NTSB expects to have a preliminary report sometime in the next 10 to 14 days, but it is uncertain when REACH will be able to release information about the investigation to the public.

(Source: REACH Air statement. Image from file. Not accident airplane)

FMI: http://REACHair.com