2 years ago
Four people are dead and one is injured after a Maryland State Police helicopter crashed while on approach to Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George's County.
The helicopter, known as Trooper 2, disappeared while on a medevac mission just before midnight. The helicopter was eventually discovered on the dead-end of Berry Lane at Walker Mill Regional Park around 2 a.m. after an extensive search.
Initial reports indicate that five persons were on board the helicopter when it crashed. It was supposed to return to Andrews Air Force Base, where it is based, with two trauma patients around midnight. The only reported survivor is a patient.
Searchers attempted to home-in on the signal from one of the crewmember's cellular telephones.
This is the fourth fatal helicopter crash in Maryland State Police aviation history. The program has had three fatal helicopter crashes -- all Bell Jet Rangers -- each of which killed the onboard pilot and paramedic. The most recent crash prior to this was on Jan. 19, 1986.
That crash led to new safety procedures, stricter standards for pilots, an airborne flight-following system for the helicopters, and the purchase of the American EuroCopter (Aerosptable) SA365N1 and SA365N2 Dauphin helicopters, which is one of those that crashed Saturday night.
.JPG)
