STATter 911

Trooper 2 at a 2004 open house at Andrews Air Force Base. From the Hughesville Volunteer Fire Department & Rescue Squad website.

Read press release from Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department

Read updated press release from Maryland State Police

Watch video of press conference from the scene

A detailed look at the helicopter and its equipment

More coverage at wusa9.com

(Last updated at 2:45 PM)

Maryland State Police helicopter Trooper 2 crashed early Sunday morning in a park in central Prince George's County killing four people. The helicopter was discovered by a Prince George's County police officer. Police and fire crews had been searching for the chopper after contact was lost during a medevac transport.

According to Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department Chief Spokesman Mark Brady, 18-year-old Jordan Wells, who was being flown from an accident scene in Waldorf, MD, was pulled alive from the wreckage. Wells is in critical condition.

Found dead with the wreckage were the pilot, flight paramedic, a first responder from Charles County and a second patient.

At a press conference Sunday, Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Terrance Sheridan announced the law enforcement agency's helicopter fleet has been grounded until further notice. Sheridan said the helicopters will not fly until it can be determined whether a problem with the aircraft caused the crash. Maryland will rely on helicopters from U.S. Park Police, Delaware State Police, Pennsylvania State Police and private companies to handle emergency medical transportation.

The 1989 helicopter that went down Sunday is the second oldest in the fleet.

This memorial was added to the Maryland State Police Aviation Command web page on Sunday.

The names of the four people killed in the crash have also been released by Maryland State Police (MSP):

1. Stephen H. Bunker, the 59-year-old pilot from Waldorf, MD. Bunker had retired as a corporal in 1998 after 26-years with MSP. He returned as a civilian pilot. Bunker had been flying for MSP for 24-years and was a certified flight instructor and a certified instrument flight instructor. Stephen Bunker was married with three grown children.

2. TFC Mickey C. Lippy, the 34-year-old flight paramedic from Westminster, MD. Trooper Lippy joined MSP four-year-ago. Prior to that Lippy had been a firefighter and medic with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. He had been assigned to Station 18 (Marley) for much of his career. Trooper Lippy had recently returned from family leave following the birth of his daughter, now four-months-old. Lippy was also a volunteer with the Owings Mills Volunteer Fire Company in Baltimore County. Since April, 2004 he had worked as a part-time paramedic and engineer with Gamber & Community Fire Company in Carroll County, MD. Lippy's wife, Christina, had been a full-time EMT/driver for Gamber, but cut back her hours due to the baby's birth.

3. Tanya Mallard, the 39-year-old first responder from Waldorf, MD. Mallard was an EMT-B with Waldorf VFD's Station 12. Mallard is survived by her husband and two children.

4. Ashley J. Younger of Waldorf, MD. She was the 17-year-old victim of the automobile accident.

Stephen H. Bunker, Maryland State Police pilot

TFC Mickey C. Lippy, Maryland State Police

Trooper 2 was dispatched to the Waldorf accident around 11:oo PM. According to Brady, the helicopter crew was on the way from the accident scene in Waldorf to Prince George's Hospital Center when the pilot told SYSCOM they would be landing at their Andrews Air Force Base hanger because of bad weather. Prince George's County was contacted at 11:53 PM to have two BLS units meet the helicopter to continue the transport to the hospital.

Trooper 2 never made it back to the hanger. Radio and radar contact was apparently lost shortly after midnight. The search began around 12:30 AM. The helicopter was found just after 2:00 AM.

The crash scene is in Walker Mill Regional Park, about three-miles north of Andrews Air Force Base.

Crash site access is said to be via Berry Lane off of Ritchie Road on the south side of the park.

The most recent accident, prior to today, was on January 19, 1986. Cpl. Gregory May, the pilot, and TFC Carey Poetzman, the aviation trauma technician, were returning to their Frederick hanger from the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. The crew encountered heavy fog and crashed in Leakin Park in West Baltimore. An extensive search was mounted along the flight path to Frederick. The chopper wasn't found for a number of hours.

The 1986 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) Dauphin helicopters. It is one of those helicopters that crashed early today.

Click here to read more about the previous fatal crashes.

On Friday, the Maryland State Police Aviation Command and the Mid-Atlantic Helicopter Association hosted a safety summit for Maryland and Washington, DC area, helicopter pilots and crews.

The one day program was described in a press release from Maryland State Police:

The agenda includes a wide range of aviation experts from law enforcement, television, private aviation companies, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. Speakers will examine best practices, accidents and trends, risk assessments, news gathering operations, and flight operations updates.

Click here to watch WJZ-TV's story on Friday's safety summit.

The clip above from YouTube includes still pictures and video of a Maryland State Police helicopter crew in action. Click here to see other YouTube videos of the MSP helicopter fleet.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:26 AM