Reach Air Medical Helicopter Crashes on Highway 50

A medevac helicopter (tail number A4E489) operated by Reach Air Medical Services crashed onto eastbound U.S. Highway 50 in East Sacramento just after 7 p.m. Monday, forcing a full shutdown of the highway and causing major traffic backups. The aircraft had departed UC Davis Medical Center and was carrying three crew members — a pilot, a nurse and a paramedic — with no patient aboard; all three were taken to local hospitals in critical condition, and one was trapped beneath the helicopter. About 15 bystanders and first responders helped lift part of the aircraft to free the trapped crew member, and officials said there was no fire despite jet fuel onboard. Video and traffic-camera images showed the red helicopter upside down with a damaged cockpit and debris across the roadway, and flight-tracking data identified the tail number as A4E489. Authorities, including the Sacramento Fire Department and CHP, have opened an investigation and warned that eastbound lanes will remain closed for an extended period, urging the public to avoid the area.