FAA investigating 2nd helicopter that touched the ocean moments before deadly Catalina Island crash

A second medical helicopter nearly crashed into the Catalina Island coast moments before another medevac flight crashed into the ocean and killed three people two weeks ago, sources tell CBS News Los Angeles. 

While the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the deadly crash, the Federal Aviation Administration has begun looking into what caused the earlier flight to drop altitude and hit the ocean.

The pair of mid-air incidents happened nearly a minute apart on Sept. 30. The first, a Mercy Air helicopter operated by Air Methods, took off at roughly 7:45 p.m. 

Witnesses told CBS LA the aircraft descended into the ocean shortly after takeoff. One witness said the helicopter's belly touched the water, quickly pulled up and briefly touched the ocean again before the pilot regained control. 

In an internal report from Air Methods, obtained by a paramedic and shared with CBS LA, the pilot stated that the helicopter dropped from 150 feet to 75 feet. After realizing the sudden drop in altitude, the pilot "felt a thump and spray under chin bubble" after he regained control of the aircraft, according to the internal report. A family member of someone on the flight described the same thump, followed by shaking. 

The second helicopter, the Reach Air Medical Services flight, crashed shortly after takeoff, roughly a minute after this incident. According to flight data, it crashed in nearly the same spot where the Mercy Air helicopter touched the ocean. 

Flight data also showed the Mercy Air flight continued to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a roughly 20-minute flight. Sources told CBS LA that the flight was grounded shortly after landing at the hospital.  

The pilot also stated that he was wearing night-vision goggles during the flight and that "visibility through the NVG's was unclear with no moon, calm ocean."

Capt. Augustine Joseph, a retired pilot and flight instructor, said that it's difficult to fly with night-vision goggles and minimal light.

"There is very little depth perception," he said. "You cannot make out the height from the water, visually, unless you know you're far away and you can see the horizon. You have some kind of depth perception, but with water and an obscure horizon, it's extremely, extremely difficult to get any depth perception."

Air Methods has not responded to several emails CBS LA has sent to the company since we started working on this story more than a week ago.