Mourning the Loss of Some Great Folks

As you are aware, I spent Tuesday flying with Trooper 1 (one of 12 helicopters run by the Maryland State Police) I am very saddened to report that early today the Trooper 2 helicopter, based out of Andrews Airforce Base crashed in the line of duty.
The troopers that I flew with were outstanding and my thoughts and prayers go out to all of the Maryland State Police today.

Medevac helicopter crash kills 4 in Md.
DC State Wire
Published: Today
FORESTVILLE, Md. (AP) — A medevac helicopter taking accident victims to a trauma center crashed in suburban Washington early Sunday, killing four of the five people aboard, authorities said.

The accident killed two police officers on board the Maryland State Police craft, one of them the pilot. Also killed were an Emergency Medical Services staffer and one of the accident victims, said Mark Brady, a spokesman for the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department.

A second accident victim survived the crash, which happened near Andrews Air Force Base.

The helicopter was sent to the scene of a traffic accident in the Waldorf area about 11 p.m. Saturday and picked up two patients and a rescue squad member for transport to Prince George's Hospital Center, according to a press release from the Maryland State Police.

As it returned to its base, the helicopter disappeared from radar and officials lost radio contact with the craft, known as Trooper 2. The crew had radioed in just before midnight that it needed to land due to weather conditions, according to the release. After an intensive search, public safety officials found the downed helicopter about 2 a.m. on a trail in a wooded area of Walker Mill Regional Park in Forestville.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.

The Maryland State Police Aviation Command, which includes the medevac program, flies 12 twin-engine helicopters out of eight bases across the state.

Sunday's crash marked the first fatalities in the command since 1986 when a helicopter crashed in fog in West Baltimore, killing two troopers who had just transported a shooting victim. The command saw two other fatal helicopter crashes in the 1970s.

A recent state legislative audit revealed that about a third of the medevac helicopters were out of service for 51 days during the past fiscal year. The audit also faulted the police agency for failing to document maintenance needs and costs and failing to comply with federal and manufacturer repair orders.

Nine of the choppers are more than 18 years old.

But state police have defended the unit. And the General Assembly's Office of Legislative Audits also noted that the operation is highly regarded throughout the nation and has an "impeccable" safety record.

State lawmakers are likely to face major budget cuts in the coming months that could threaten a three-year plan to replace the helicopters.

In the last legislative session, lawmakers struggled to carve out money to upgrade the fleet or buy new helicopters. The fiscal year 2009 budget has about $33 million for the fleet. About $110 million is planned over the next four years.