Published: October 14, 2008 11:09 pm         

Local medevac helicopter flying again

Trooper 5 grounded after Sept. 28 crash

CUMBERLAND — Maryland State Police Medevac Trooper 5, based at the Greater Cumberland Regional Airport, is back in service.

Medevac helicopters at Baltimore, Salisbury and St. Mary’s County are also now back in service, according to state police spokesman Greg Shipley.

The agency’s Aviation Command is gradually resuming flights at various Medevac locations following the Sept. 28 crash of Medevac Trooper 2 in Waldorf. The incident claimed the lives of MSP Pilot Stephen H. Bunker, 59, of Waldorf; Tfc. Mickey C. Lippy, 34, of Westminster, the MSP flight paramedic; Tonya M. Mallard, 38, of Waldorf, an EMT-B with the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department; and Ashley, J. Younger, 17, of Waldorf, who was a student at Frostburg State University.

The Eurocopter Dauphin II helicopter was transporting Younger and 18-year-old Jordan A. Wells of Waldorf following a traffic accident in Waldorf when the aircraft crashed for unknown reasons.

Cindy Rivers, a spokeswoman for the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, said Tuesday Wells’ condition has been upgraded to serious but stable. Rivers said Wells still has many months of recovery ahead of her.

The incident remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board with the assistance of Maryland State Police.

Following the crash, the State Police Aviation Command was grounded as a routine precautionary measure to rule out mechanical failure.

“We are continuing to work to bring up additional sections by the end of this week,” said Shipley, although he said the projected time frame for the rest of the fleet to return to service is not certain.

The Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems also established a new protocol whereby field responders will consult with a physician before a final decision is made to request Medevac service.

In recent days, local observations by citizens and two-way radio transmissions indicated Trooper 5 had returned to service. However, official confirmation that the helicopter is now available for medical and police missions could not be obtained until Tuesday.