In Memory of Pilot Stephen H. Bunker
and Trooper First Class Mickey C. Lippy

Four of the five people aboard a Maryland State Police medical helicopter were killed the morning of September 28 in Prince George’s County, including one active and one retired trooper.

The deceased victims included Stephen H. Bunker, 59, a state police pilot and a retired MSP corporal; TFC Mickey C. Lippy, 34, the MSP flight paramedic; Tanya Mallard, 39, an EMT-B with the Waldorf Rescue Squad; and Ashley Younger, 17, who was a patient being transported. The surviving victim of the crash was Jordan Wells, 18.

At about 11 p.m. on September 27, MSP medevac helicopter Trooper 2 was dispatched to the scene of a traffic crash in Waldorf. The crew flew to the crash scene and picked up two patients, Younger and Wells. Joining the crew to assist with medical care on the flight to the hospital was Mallard, who had responded to the scene with the Waldorf Rescue Squad.

Trooper 2 lifted off and headed to the Prince George’s Hospital Center, but when no call came from the helicopter crew notifying dispatch that they had landed, the state police Forestville Barracks and several nearby agencies launched a search for the helicopter just after midnight. Flight-following equipment was used to locate the region of the crash, and just before 2 a.m., officers on foot found the crash scene, located in a wooded area within the Walker Mill Regional Park in Forestville. Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration reported to the scene, as well as MSP investigators. News reports claim that inclement weathered played a part in the crash.

The four deceased victims were pronounced dead at the scene. The surviving victim was transported by ambulance to the Prince George’s Hospital Center and was being treated for injuries at the time of this report.

Bunker had been with the department since 1972 and held a commercial pilot’s license and was a certified flight instructor and a certified instrument flight instructor. He also had a single engine airplane pilot’s license. He was a state police corporal who retired in 1998 and returned to service as a civilian pilot. He had flown for the MSP for more than 24 years. He is survived by his wife and three grown children.

Lippy was appointed to the state police four years ago and had been in the Aviation Command as a flight paramedic since April 2007. He is survived by his wife and 4-month-old daughter.

The aircraft was a Eurocopter Dauphin II twin jet engine helicopter that became part of the state police fleet in 1989 and was the second helicopter purchased in the current fleet. The helicopter completed a 100-hour inspection on September 24.

AAST members nationwide send their sympathy to the department and the families in the midst of this tragedy.

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NOTE:  You may view or leave reflections about Pilot Bunker and Trooper First Class Lippy on the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP).

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