We want to know everything about Maryland Aviation Command. An open, independent, detailed examination of the entire system must go far beyond the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation of the horrific fatal crash a week ago today.
Revelations since the crash compel a wider probe. Only 17 days before the chopper went down while transporting accident victims, a whistle-blower warned federal officials:
» “Your immediate attention is requested to prevent loss of life”
» “… internal aviation safety reports have been bottled up, ignored or sanitized to protect mismanagement”
» The helicopter that crashed had been damaged badly in 2000, but the accident never was reported officially
» His 2006 aviation safety report might have been withheld from command crew personnel
» Nine of the dozen choppers, including the one that crashed, do not have a warning system NTSB recommended for all medical helicopters more than two years ago.
Worst of all, superiors ordered whistle-blower Pete Peterson, a Maryland State Police pilot, not to share information “outside the Aviation Command,” then punished him for sending his report to other pilots.
Peterson has pushed for investigation of the state helicopter maintenance program. Lack of action should flash a warning light to all citizens.
NTSB’s investigation of this crash will find a cause. The state quickly contracted to have specific equipment — that the pilot reported not working moments before death — checked on 11 other helicopters in the fleet before returning them to service.
All these factors argue against citizens being satisfied with a mere proximate cause-of-crash report from NTSB. We need to know systemic causes.
We have no confidence in the federal government that ignored Peterson and in the state agency that punished him for doing his duty. Right now, no one knows what caused the crash. Nor do we know if Peterson’s allegations have merit.
But we do know there is evidence of official unresponsiveness, cover-up and backlash even before Trooper 2 impacted, killing paramedic Mickey Lippy, of Westminster, pilot Stephen Bunker, Rescue Squad worker Tanya Mallard and accident victim Ashley Younger, all of Waldorf.
Their deaths demand full investigation of the entire Aviation Command and total disclosure of all results. Official inaction and actions prior to the tragedy demand it be done independently by those with nothing to hide and no reason to shift blame.
Can we trust Gov. Martin O’Malley? A General Assembly committee? The State Police? The U.S. Department of Transportation?
Any official investigations will be credible only if they are comprehensive and have outside oversight. We want some whistle-blowers scanning this one.
