By Michael Dresser and Kelly Brewington and , michael.dresser@baltsun.com and kelly.brewington@baltsun.com|September 30, 2008
A nearly 20-year-old Maryland State Police helicopter that crashed in darkness and fog over the weekend, killing four people, was not equipped with an advanced electronic system that helps prevent pilots from slamming into the ground in low-visibility conditions, federal transportation officials said yesterday.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board said they were still working to determine the cause of the crash in Prince George's County, the deadliest incident in the 38 years state police have been flying medical evacuation missions. Meanwhile, the lone survivor, 18-year-old Jordan Wells, was listed in critical but stable condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center.
At a news conference in District Heights, NTSB officials stressed that they were investigating all possible factors leading to the crash - including possible pilot fatigue, training issues and mechanical malfunctions. But they noted that the helicopter was not equipped with a Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS), a technology the NTSB has been urging for medevac helicopters since 2006.
The crash occurred early Sunday near Andrews Air Force Base. It killed the pilot, two emergency medical workers and one of the two auto accident victims the helicopter had been transporting to Prince George's Hospital Center in Cheverly when the pilot attempted an emergency landing at Andrews. After the wreckage was discovered in Walker Mill Regional Park near the base, the state police grounded the other 11 helicopters in the fleet for inspections.
Maryland State Police spokesman Greg Shipley said yesterday that officials expect the aircraft to remain out of action for "days instead of weeks" while they make sure there are no systemic problems with the fleet.
"They are working to get them back in the air as quickly as possible," Shipley said. In the interim, private helicopter operators and other agencies have been filling in to transport critically injured patients to trauma centers.
Shipley said three of the copters in the state police fleet are equipped with terrain-avoidance technology. He said the agency intends to require the systems - as well as other NTSB-recommended safety measures - in all of its helicopters as part of a plan to replace the existing fleet.
Ladd Sanger, a Dallas attorney and helicopter pilot who specializes in aviation litigation, said that terrain-awareness systems have been shown to be effective and can be retrofitted onto older copters.
