Final flight, procession planned for nurse who died after Sacramento helicopter crash
A procession will take place Sunday afternoon to escort the body of medevac flight nurse Susan “Suzie” Smith by air from Sacramento to Red Bluff, then by ground to her home of Palo Cedro.
Reach Air Medical Services on Saturday announced the death of Smith, 67, days after she sustained critical injuries during a helicopter crash on Highway 50 in East Sacramento. Two other flight crew members abord the air ambulance, a pilot and paramedic, were in critical but stable condition following the crash.
Smith’s final flight is expected to take off at 1 p.m. and land in Red Bluff by about 2 p.m. From there, a ground ambulance, escorted by a procession of family, EMS and law enforcement agencies, will take her to a funeral home in Palo Cedro, according to a statement from Reach.
People who want to participate in the ground procession may stage along the route, which travels north on Interstate 5 from Highway 36 in Red Bluff to Highway 44 near Redding. The route will continue east on Highway 44 then south on Deschutes Road to Allen and Dahl Funeral Chapel in Palo Cedro.
The public may not park at the funeral home or contact the family, according to Reach. The family is planning a celebration of life event for a future date, allowing community members to pay their respects to Smith.
“We will remember Suzie as a pillar of the EMS and healthcare community who saved countless lives by delivering compassionate care in their darkest hours,” the company said in a statement.
Smith worked almost 21 years of her 50-year nursing career with Reach Air. The Reach 5 helicopter crash from which she later died happened Monday night just after departing UC Davis Medical Center.
The helicopter cratered onto the eastbound lanes of Highway 50 about a quarter-mile from the hospital helipad it had taken off from roughly 30 seconds before. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration.
Pilot Chad Millward, a 60-year-old California Highway Patrol veteran with a decorated past, and paramedic Margaret “DeDe” Davis, 66, were the other two people injured in the crash and remain in critical but stable condition.
The flight was returning to its base in Redding. No patient was on board.
Friends and family knew Smith as a “dedicated” and “highly skilled” nurse, with deep roots in Northern California’s emergency medical community. She was also known for her humanitarian work abroad.
To honor Smith’s legacy of mission work, nursing education and other causes, a memorial foundation, “Our Angel That Flies Foundation,” is being established, according to Reach.
Smith is survived by her husband, RJ; son, Gabriel; daughter, Carli; and several grandchildren.
This story was originally published October 12, 2025 at 10:17 AM.
