I was in the state police hangar at Martin State Airport in 1989, three years after that crash. It was the day the first of several new twin-engine helicopters would be dedicated and placed into service. The $5.5 million cost seemed a small price to pay for such a sophisticated machine, whose twin engines powered one of the most elaborate "bad weather" flight control systems and high-tech communications equipment for both the flight crew and patients. It helped earn the Maryland State Police aviation division its "elite" status among medical transport systems around the world as well as the envy of a highly experienced flight crew that had all the right stuff.
Last Sunday, none of it seemed to matter, as four lives were lost in the foggy chill of another medevac mission gone bad. After 20 years, and tens of thousands of safe medevac missions, it's time to examine this system again - not to criticize or point fingers, but rather to make it even safer. It is also an opportunity to reverse the devastation of such a tragedy into some positive changes that would honor the memory of the brave men and women who have given their lives to save others.
