sheriff's office helicopter crashed in New Mexico 16th July 2022
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sheriff's office helicopter crashed in New Mexico 16th July 2022
Copter crashes, kills 4 during severe New Mexico fire season (chron.com)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Evidence indicates that a helicopter that crashed in northern New Mexico after helping fight a wildfire over the weekend descended at a fast rate, with the craft ending up mangled and in pieces after first hitting the ground upright, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday.
The agency has completed its initial documentation of the deadly crash, but it will likely take weeks for investigators to determine the cause. Authorities were in the process of removing the wreckage from a remote area south of the community of Las Vegas to a secure location where it could be examined further.
The helicopter was carrying three people with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and a county firefighter when it went down Saturday evening while returning from its firefighting mission. County officials on Monday called the four men heroes.
“It is with a sad and broken heart that we think of the heroes we lost this weekend," Sheriff Manuel Gonzales and Fire Chief Greg Perez said in a joint statement. “The reality is that we will likely grieve this loss forever. Each of these heroes died doing what they loved, serving others. They paid the ultimate price, and we are forever grateful to these men for the love and passion they had as first-responders.”
Gonzales and Perez both spoke at a news conference Monday afternoon, sharing details about the men and saying their focus now is on supporting the men's families and their grieving employees.
“It's with a heavy heart that we stand in front of you. This is has been a tragic 48 hours for Bernalillo County, and we all are at a loss," Perez said. "I'm trying to put words together to sum up what we're feeling, what we're experiencing. It's not possible.”
Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the NTSB, said there is flight track information that investigators will review to get a better understanding of the path the helicopter was taking on its way back to its home base in Albuquerque. He also said there may have been witnesses, so authorities are asking anyone with information to come forward.
While it’s common for afternoon and evening thunderstorms to circle New Mexico during monsoon season, it didn’t appear there was any adverse weather at the time of the crash, Knudson said.
“But we will look at everything as part of the investigation,” he said.
