Unique plane parachute saved Scott Graeves & Gilbert Porter in mid-air crash in Frederick; 3 in chopper dead

(FREDERICK, MD) – Maryland State Police report that three people are dead following the mid-air crash of a small plane and a helicopter that occurred this afternoon in Frederick.

WJLA reporter Jay Korff reports that NTSB officials said that the unique parachute system saved the lives of the two men in the airplane.

The three deceased victims are identified as Christopher D. Parsons, 29, of Westminster, MD, William Jenkins, 47, of Morrison, Colorado, and Breandan J. MacFawn, 35, of Cumberland, MD. Investigators have determined all three men were on-board the helicopter. Who was piloting the helicopter has not been verified at this time.

The two persons in the airplane are identified as Scott V. Graeves, 55, of Brookeville, MD, and Gilbert L. Porter, 75, of Sandy Spring, MD. Both had been taken by ambulance to Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown, MD, but were released from the hospital this evening. Graeves was the pilot of the airplane and Porter was his passenger.