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Wednesday, November 18, 2009
UPDATED: N.M. Official Says State Police Chopper Had No Mechanical Problem
By Barry Massey
Associated Press
SANTA FE — Investigators have found no mechanical malfunctions in a State Police helicopter that crashed in June during a mountain rescue of a lost hiker, Public Safety Secretary John Denko said Wednesday.
The cause of the fatal accident remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, but Denko told legislators there's no evidence so far of mechanical problems with the helicopter. A federal report on the crash will not be ready for six months or more, he said.
Terry Williams, an NTSB spokesman in Washington, D.C., said he could not confirm Denko's statements because of the ongoing investigation.
The crash occurred shortly after the hiker was picked up in the mountains near Santa Fe. The hiker and pilot died. Another crew member survived.
Deteriorating weather played a big part in the accident, according to Denko, who is a longtime pilot and former State Police chief.
"At the time the helicopter went in, conditions were appropriate to do what they did," Denko told the Legislative Finance Committee.
After landing in a clearing, the pilot, Sgt. Andy Tingwall, had to hike about a half mile to find the hiker and carry her back to the helicopter. It started to sleet and clouds blanketed the helicopter shortly after it took off, according to a preliminary NTSB report issued not long after the accident.
The helicopter apparently hit something, continued to fly for about a minute, then crashed on a ridge at about 12,000 feet and rolled down a steep slope.
The worsening weather, Denko said, "was, in my opinion, primarily responsible for what happened" after the helicopter lifted off.
The hiker, Megumi Yamamoto of Tokyo, was a student at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
State Police Chief Faron Segotta said the state should receive a $6 million replacement helicopter by the end of next month. Insurance helped cover the cost of the new aircraft.
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