Phillip Lee Russ
Agency patch
Trooper First Class

Phillip Lee Russ

Maryland State Police — Pikesville, MD
Veteran → Accident
End of Watch October 28, 1972
Age 25
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
The Vigil Panel 111 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Trooper Philip Russ and Trooper Thomas Noyle were killed when their Bell Jet Ranger helicopter crashed while they en route to Dorchester General Hospital to conduct a medevac to the Maryland Trauma Center. The aircraft encountered heavy fog and crashed near Bennett Point Road, three miles south of Queenstown when the pilot attempted to land. Trooper Russ had served with the Maryland State Police for almost four years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MD-47AE551A
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Trooper First Class Russ gave the Maryland State Police 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Maryland. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper First Class Russ.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type State Police
Location Pikesville, MD
Platform Identity msp.md.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 28, 1972
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
Age 25
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Phillip Lee Russ served in the the United States military (1970–1970) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Trooper First Class Phillip Lee Russ is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In MD, 140 of 377 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.1% of this state's fallen. That is 37.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Maryland State Police, 28 of 42 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Maryland State Police
28
of 42 officers
66.7% Accident
MD — Statewide
140
of 377 officers
37.1% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Phillip Lee Russ's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Phillip Lee Russ Compares

Age at Death
25
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
4
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Phillip Lee Russ is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Military Service

Phillip Lee Russ served in the United States military (1970–1970) before joining law enforcement.

Visit Phillip Lee Russ’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.