Medevac helicopter crash kills 4 in Maryland

[September 29, 2008]  DISTRICT HEIGHTS, 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, 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 AFB.

Officials lost radio contact with the craft, known as Trooper 2, around 12:30 a.m. as it was headed to the base, according to a press release from the Maryland State Police. The crew had radioed in that it needed to land due to weather conditions. After an intensive search, public safety officials found the downed helicopter on a park trail.

[Associated Press]

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