Updates on Care Flight Incident
Media Contact:
Jena Esposito, KPS3, pr@kps3.com, 702-513-0606
March 9, 12:10 p.m. – Update on Care Flight’s return-to-service
Following a pause of its medical transport services since Friday, Feb. 24, 2023 after the crash of a medical transport plane outside of Stagecoach, Nevada, three out of the four Care Flight rotor-wing aircraft returned to service today, March 9. Care Flight resumed its ground critical care transport services Monday, March 6.
Consistent with Care Flight protocol, crews will bring the fourth rotor-wing aircraft into service aligned with staffing, maintenance and other operational needs. Care Flight’s aviation vendor for its rotor-wing aircraft is MedTrans.
There is no timeline associated with resuming fixed-wing medical transport service. Care Flight’s aviation vendor for fixed-wing medical transport is Guardian Flight.
REMSA Health has continued its 24/7 ground ambulance services without pause.
Care Flight appreciates our neighboring agencies’ assistance in providing critical care transport across our service area during the pause of service.
March 8, 4:00 p.m. – Community memorial service and tribute honors crew lost in medical transport plane crash
An honor procession and memorial service was held today to recognize the medical transport plane crew members who lost their lives in the line of duty Friday, Feb. 24, 2023 outside of Stagecoach, Nevada.
Gathering at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Care Flight-REMSA Health leadership, staff, family members, the community, first responder agencies, healthcare partners and dignitaries paid their respects to Care Flight crew members Ed Pricola, BSN, Care Flight nurse; Ryan Watson, Care Flight paramedic and Captain Scott Walton, CFI, CFII, the pilot for Guardian Flight, the aviation vendor for Care Flight’s fixed-wing transport program. The family of the patient and his spouse did not participate in the memorial and has requested that their privacy be respected.
March 3, 1:30 p.m. – Private memorials and celebrations of life begin this weekend for Care Flight crew; public memorial to be held March 8
Private services for Care Flight crew members and their families will take place today and over the next week. Out of respect for crew members’ families and the first responder community, these events are not open to the public or the media.
Private candlelight vigils will be held this evening, March 3 at 9:14 p.m. A livestream on Care Flight’s Facebook of the memorial in the Care Flight office will be available for those who wish to participate from their individual locations.
A public memorial service will be held Wednesday, March 8 at 2 p.m. at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. Additional memorial service information will be made available for the community and media partners once confirmed. As memorial services are planned to honor our Care Flight and Guardian Flight colleagues whose lives were lost on Friday, Feb. 24, anyone is welcome to share pictures and videos that may be included in public tributes at remsahealth.com/share-a-memory.
Feb. 27, 3:45 p.m. – Community Condolences Webpage: Join Us in Remembering Those We’ve Lost
REMSA Health, Care Flight and our community are grieving the loss of those on board the medical transport plane that crashed Friday night. We extend our deepest condolences to their loved ones. Our community has responded with an outpouring of support and care for those lost, their loved ones and their colleagues.
Many have reached out to express their heartfelt condolences. We have created a REMSA Health-Care Flight Community Condolences webpage for those who would like to add a message of condolence, support or love. By sharing your messages, you will join others in a collective showing of support and care for all involved.
Feb. 25, 3:00 p.m. – Statement from REMSA Health President & CEO Barry Duplantis on Care Flight Crash
As we reported early this morning, REMSA Health and Care Flight are heartbroken to share that last night Friday, February 24, at approximately 9:45 p.m. a Care Flight Pilatus PC-12 fixed-wing aircraft went off radar near Stagecoach, Nevada. Central Lyon County Fire Department has confirmed that none of the five people on board survived; notifications to family members have been made
Our organization is grieving the loss of our valued team members and extends our deepest condolences to their families. Our job as an EMS agency is to care for the communities we serve – and at this time – we also are caring for one another. We are holding our REMSA Health and Care Flight team members and their families close at this incredibly difficult time.
Our focus is and will remain on helping staff and colleagues, as well as their families, cope with this devastating news. We are asking that their privacy be respected.
What I can tell you at this time is the Central Lyon County Fire Protection District and Lyon County Sheriff’s Department are coordinating with the National Transportation Safety Board to determine the details of the crash which is under investigation.
The NTSB will be addressing all questions about the investigation. The NTSB media representative assigned to the investigation is Peter Knudson. He is arriving in Reno this afternoon and will be on-site at the crash location. NTSB will hold a media briefing on Sunday on its investigation and will announce the time and location of the briefing on its Twitter feed.
Our REMSA Health and Care Flight team remains focused on our people and their families. Over the last 24 hours, we have made peer support and mental healthcare resources available to all of our team members 24/7 at our Edison Way campus here in Reno.
Local and regional co-response and healthcare partners have been tremendously supportive and generous with offering assistance for ground, air and dispatch operations, as well as with mental health support. We are so grateful and appreciative of their support.
Our priority now and in the coming days and weeks is to care for the family members of the Care Flight crew and those on board the flight, as well as our entire organization of healthcare providers and staff that will continue to do important day-to-day work across our region. Thank you for supporting them and their loved ones at this time as they cope with this tragic loss.
We will continue to work closely with NTSB and responding agencies and will update the REMSA Health website and social media with any new information as it is available.
Feb. 25, 12:24 a.m. – Care Flight Media Statement: First Update
Care Flight, a service of REMSA Health, headquartered in Reno, Nevada and Guardian Flight, headquartered in Utah, can confirm that a PC 12 fixed-wing aircraft, tail number N273SM, went off radar Friday, Feb. 24, at approximately 9:45 p.m., near Stagecoach, Nevada. We are heartbroken to report that we have now received confirmation from Central Lyon County Fire Department that none of the five people on board survived. The five people on board were a pilot, a flight nurse, a flight paramedic, a patient and a patient’s family member. We are in the process of notifying their family members.
Our immediate focus is helping our team members and families, as well as the responding agencies.
The Central Lyon Fire Department and Lyon County Sheriff’s Department are coordinating with the National Transportation Safety Board to determine the cause of the crash which is under investigation.
As is Guardian and Care Flight’s safety process in these situations, we are in a passive stand down for all Guardian and Care Flight flights across the company. We will work with each of our operations to ascertain when they are able to return to service.
