4 Killed in Crash of Maryland Medical Helicopter

By Aaron Poehler

Published on September 30, 2008

Four people died Sunday when an emergency medical-services (EMS) helicopter operated by the Maryland State Police crashed in suburban Washington, D.C while attempting to land after picking up two automobile accident victims.

The fatal medical chopper accident was the eighth nationwide in the past 12-month period, prompting comment from the National Transportation Safety Board noting that the accident rate for such flights is far too high and that the incidence of such accidents has been increasing in recent years.

The NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration are currently investigating the cause of the crash. However, it was noted that the pilot radioed for help twice due to foggy weather before crashing about 1:15 a.m. Sunday, about three miles from Andrews Air Force Base, where the craft had been diverted due to inclement weather. Killed in the accident were pilot Stephen Bunker, 59; emergency medical technician Tanya Mallard, 39; flight paramedic Mickey Lippy, 34; and 18-year-old Ashley Younger, who was one of the auto accident victims picked up by the chopper.

In a 2006 report on EMS crashes between January 2002 and January 2005, NTSB researchers found that 54 fatalities resulted from 55 EMS crashes, 29 of which could have been prevented via implementation of standard safety recommendations. Since the publication of the 2006 study, 52 people have died in EMS crashes -- about 30 in the last 12 months alone.

 

Comment on this article →