Joseph Anthony (aka Pepe) Tena had a private pilot license rotorcraft-helicopter and a third class medical.
From a KCAL news report:
Watzman was the manager of The Standard Hotel on the Sunset Strip, where Reichelt was also an employee, the company confirmed. They were on their way to Catalina Island Tuesday when the helicopter crashed.
Earlier in this thread:
Originally Posted by
skadi
At least she should have helped the two injured persons.
From the KCAL news report:
David Henry, who lives a couple houses away from the crash site, said he heard the helicopter coming down and knew what it was because he crashed in three separate choppers when he served in Vietnam.
Henry was among those who initially tried to pull victims from the crash but thought better of it.
“They were just jammed in there like sardines,” Henry said. “We were pulling back the aluminum and we said, ‘We’d have to pull them up out of there’ and we could hear the paramedics coming.
“So we said, ‘We’re not going to touch them,'” he said. “We were afraid of hurting them worse.”
Victims Identified In Newport Beach Helicopter Crash « CBS Los Angeles