(LEXINGTON PARK, MD) – Maryland State Police Aviation Command (MSPAC) performed an aerial hoist rescue on Saturday after a boat overturned in the Chesapeake Bay.
On July 19, 2025, at approximately 5:00 p.m., fire and rescue personnel from St. Mary’s County were dispatched to a location on the Chesapeake Bay approximately 300 yards offshore for three victims stranded in the water. The Maryland State Police Aviation Command Trooper 7 crew, the MSP helicopter based in California, Maryland, were monitoring the county dispatch radio and overheard the dispatch and self-launched after contact with St. Mary’s ECC and SYSCOM to assist with locating the victims and an aerial hoist rescue, if required.
Trooper 7 made contact with the incident command officer from the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department and was requested to perform an aerial hoist rescue due to then extended arrival time of the closest fireboat. Trooper 7 hovered over the victims in the water and deployed a rescue basket. One victim was safely hoisted into the aircraft and secured. A fireboat from Calvert County then arrived on scene and Trooper 7 directed the fireboat to the remaining two victims who assisted them out of the water.
The flight crew transitioned directly into the medical evacuation role however the patient did not require medevac to an area hospital. Trooper 7 landed next to the command post and transferred the victim to the awaiting ambulance and family. The flight crew of Trooper 7 utilized the Augusta Westland AW-139 helicopter to perform the rescue.
The MSPAC has served since 1970 and operates a fleet of 10 AW139 helicopters from seven bases in Maryland. Each aircraft provides round-the-clock coverage to Maryland residents and visitors. The agency’s missions include medevac, law enforcement, search and rescue, homeland security and disaster assessment. The success of the missions relies heavily on the cooperative efforts of local fire, rescue, EMS, law enforcement agencies and partner agencies.
###
CONTACT: Office of Media Communications, msp.media@maryland.gov
