Beloved Flight Nurse Remembered After Fatal Sacramento Helicopter Crash Injures Crew

Image Source:  PAUL KITAGAKI JR. -The Sacramento Bee and Reach Air Medical 

A recent helicopter crash in Sacramento has brought attention to the potential risks faced by flight nurses and air medical transport teams. The accident, involving a Reach Air Medical Services helicopter, left three people injured, including veteran flight nurse Susan “Suzie” Smith, 67, of Redding. Sadly, Smith succumbed to her injuries and passed away, her employer confirmed Friday. Smith, a 50-year nursing veteran and pillar of the EMS community, was remembered by REACH as a compassionate caregiver who touched countless lives. The crash remains under investigation; pilot Chad Millward and flight paramedic Margaret Davis were last reported in critical condition at UC Davis Medical Center.

Crew status: 

• Pilot Chad Millward is in critical but stable condition.
• Flight Paramedic Margaret “DeDe” Davis is in critical but stable condition.
• Flight Nurse Susan “Suzie” Smith passed away.

While details about the October 2025 crash are still developing, the incident serves as a sobering reminder of the dangers that come with caring for patients thousands of feet above the ground. For those of us who have worked in flight nursing, this hits close to home because we know firsthand the balance between risk and purpose that defines this field.

@cbsnews Bystanders jumped into action on Monday evening to help a nurse pinned underneath helicopter wreckage on a freeway in Sacramento, working together to lift the helicopter off of her after it crashed as paramedics freed her. Nurse Suzie Smith was one of three people on board who was injured in the crash, obtaining multiple serious injuries, according to her family. The pilot and paramedic onboard have not yet been identified. “A few of us tried to lift the helicopter at first and, initially, when I felt how heavy, like there was no movement, it wouldn’t budge at all,” said Priscilla Cochran-Navarra, who had been driving on the freeway and watched the chopper crash down. “But when 15 people or so came to do it, it was just seemed like the impossible became possible.” Cochran-Navarra said that she laid down on the ground with Smith, telling her, “You’re alive. You’re alive.” “I said, ’You’re not alone. I’m not going to leave you,’” she continued. “…She’s screaming for help, like, ‘Help me. Help me.’” The medical helicopter had crashed after suffering an “in-air emergency,” and no other vehicle on the freeway were involved. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. #california #rescue #helicoptercrash ♬ original sound - cbsnews

A Life of Service: Remembering Susan “Suzie” Smith

Susan Smith’s name is well known in the Redding community, where she built a long and respected career in nursing and flight medicine. Known for her upbeat personality, compassion, and commitment to her patients, Smith has been a fixture in Northern California healthcare for decades.

In her biography on the Reach Air Medical Services website, she described growing up on her family’s 30,000-acre cattle ranch and knowing early on that nursing was her calling. “I got recruited into flight nursing,” she said. “I love it, and I’d be bored if I did anything else. It’s exciting to me to share the riches of this life. So many people try to find satisfaction in partners or material things. With this work, I get so much more than I give. It sounds like a cliché, but it’s true.”

Smith began her nursing career at 22 after studying at Shasta College and never looked back. Her dedication extended far beyond the hospital walls. Friends and community members remember her as both kind-hearted and fearless — a nurse who loved her work and continued serving long past the point most would retire.

Kim Zagaris, former state fire and rescue chief for California’s Office of Emergency Services, grew up with Smith in Redding and served as an usher at her 1978 wedding. “It’s tragic to see what happened, let alone a crash in public safety,” he said. “It’s a pretty tight-knit community. Nobody wants to see this happen, and you just have to feel for them.”

Redding Mayor Jack Munns, who attended high school with Smith, remembered her fondly. “She was outgoing and bubbly and fun,” he told The Sacramento Bee. “She was a great gal. We just pray the best for them—that our hopes and prayers are with them and that they come to a full recovery.”

Smith’s legacy of service runs in her blood. Her mother, Judith Bartell, was a volunteer fire captain, and her brother, Forrest Bartell, serves as the director of the Burney Fire Protection District. “To still be on Life Flight, still doing things, tells me a lot about how she continues to give back,” Zagaris said.

As of this week, Smith remains hospitalized at UC Davis Medical Center in critical condition alongside the helicopter’s pilot and paramedic, who were also injured in the crash.

The Reality of Flight Nursing

Flight nursing is not for the faint of heart. It’s critical care with altitude, combining the intensity of emergency medicine and trauma care with the unpredictability of aviation. Flight nurses are called to some of the most remote and high-pressure environments imaginable, caring for trauma victims, cardiac patients, and critically ill infants midair, often with limited resources and no room for error.

According to the Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association, flight nurses must be experts in critical care, emergency medicine, and flight physiology. Each mission brings new variables, and every nurse onboard must be ready to adapt quickly to changing patient conditions or flight dynamics.

The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery reports that medical helicopter operations carry a fatality rate of 0.86 per 100,000 flight hours  significantly higher than commercial aviation. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) notes that nearly 40% of medical helicopter accidents happen during patient transport, with weather contributing to about 25% of those incidents.

Despite these risks, flight nurses undergo extensive training to handle any emergency, from in-flight resuscitations to crash survival. It’s a demanding specialty that blends medical expertise with courage and composure, often in unpredictable conditions.

The Human Toll: Stress, Burnout, and Resilience

The physical and emotional demands of flight nursing are immense. Studies published in the Journal of Emergency Nursing reveal that air medical personnel experience potential higher stress and burnout rates than their ground-based counterparts. Long hours, traumatic scenes, and high-stakes missions can leave lasting emotional impacts.

Maintaining wellness and mental health support is crucial in this field. Teams like Reach Air Medical Services invest heavily in resilience programs, debriefings, and peer support to help crews manage the emotional toll that comes with saving lives in such high-risk conditions.

Safety Advancements and Ongoing Challenges

In the wake of this recent Sacramento crash, aviation safety will once again take center stage. Over the past decade, the air medical industry has made major advancements from improved weather tracking systems and night-vision technology to terrain awareness and crash-resistant fuel tanks. These innovations have saved countless lives, but risk can never be completely eliminated.

Organizations like Reach continue to prioritize pilot training, maintenance oversight, and comprehensive preflight assessments. Yet incidents like this one remind us that every flight involves both tremendous skill and tremendous responsibility.

What Flight Nurses Want You to Know About Safety and Preparedness

As someone who has been a flight nurse, I can say there’s nothing quite like it. The view from the cockpit is breathtaking  but it’s what happens in the back of the aircraft that defines the mission. Every second counts, every decision matters, and safety is always the first priority.

For nurses considering flight medicine, here are key lessons to keep in mind:

• Safety always comes first. No mission is worth risking the crew’s lives. In flight nursing, there’s a long-standing rule that everyone follows: “Three to go, one to say no.” That means if even one crew member doesn’t feel comfortable with the conditions — weather, fatigue, mechanical issues, or just a gut feeling ,the flight doesn’t launch. No questions asked.
  
  
• Know your limits. Emotional resilience and physical stamina are as vital as clinical skills.
• Prioritize teamwork. Success in flight nursing depends on trust and communication with your pilot, medic and team.
  
  
• Train constantly. From simulation drills to emergency egress practice, preparedness saves lives.
  
  

Flight nursing is one of the most challenging and rewarding careers in our profession. It demands courage, expertise, and a deep sense of purpose. And as we keep Susan Smith and her crew in our thoughts, we’re reminded that every flight nurse represents the best of nursing — compassion, skill, and selfless service under pressure.

🤔 Nurses, share your thoughts in the discussion forum below.