News > Maryland State Police unit awarded “rescue of the year” for lifesaving mission with the AS365 Dauphin

> Latest feature story | Feature story archive

Maryland State Police unit awarded “rescue of the year” for lifesaving mission with the AS365 Dauphin

August 6, 2009

A Maryland State Police Aviation Command crew has been honored for a daring December 2008 rescue which utilized American Eurocopter’s Dauphin AS365 when a broken water main left several vehicles trapped in three-to-four feet of swiftly-flowing water.

A flight paramedic deploys from one of 12 AS365s in the Maryland State Police Aviation Command’s Dauphin fleet. These helicopters have logged more than 90,000 flight hours to date, and are utilized for search and rescue, emergency medical airlift and law enforcement operations.

The Aviation Command’s Trooper 2 helicopter – which is operated from Andrews Air Force Base – was dispatched to the vicinity of River Road in Bethesda, Maryland, where the water was surging down a steep road at 150,000 gallons per minute. The 20-degree F. weather necessitated a rapid response.

Benefitting from the AS365’s high maneuverability and excellent stability, pilot Jim MacKay and flight paramedic/hoist operator Sergeant Nate Wheelock were able to lift three individuals to safety – carefully threading the rescue basket’s cable between 100-foot trees and wires.

Soaking wet and covered with ice, the survivors were quickly transported to a nearby trauma center – where each ultimately made a complete recovery.

In recognition of this successful mission, Trooper 2 was awarded the Goodrich North American Rescue of the Year – which honors those who put themselves at risk to save the lives of others. The 2009 distinction was bestowed on the crew during this year’s Goodrich Hoist Users Conference in Anaheim, California.
A member of the versatile Dauphin family of helicopters, Eurocopter’s AS365 has distinguished itself as a powerful aircraft with a fast cruise speed of 145 kts. The aircraft also has been noted for its outstanding useful load capacity, performance and long range.

The Maryland State Police is one of many operators that rely on the AS365 in demanding situations every day.  Its Aviation Command utilizes a fleet of 12 Dauphins, and was the first U.S. operator to upgrade its AS365 N1s to the increased-performance N3 version. Each twin-engine aircraft is equipped for full Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) capability, and carries a Global Positioning System (GPS), a state-of-the-art medical interior, FLIR (forward looking infrared) sensor and a NightSun searchlight.

Maryland’s aircraft perform search and rescue flights, emergency medical airlift and law enforcement operations.  To date, the State Police Aviation Command’s Dauphin fleet has logged more than 90,000 flight hours.

View the Feature archive.

© 2012 American Eurocopter Corporation. All rights reserved. Read our disclaimer.