Evidence indicates that a helicopter that crashed in northern New Mexico after helping fight a wildfire over the weekend descended at high speed, and the craft was smashed to pieces after first hitting the ground. 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 remains from a remote area south of the Las Vegas community to a safe location where they could be further examined.
The helicopter was carrying three people from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and a county firefighter when it crashed Saturday night 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 probably mourn this loss forever. Each of these heroes died doing what they loved, serving others. They paid the ultimate price and we will be eternally grateful to these men for the love and passion they had as first .responders”.
Gonzales and Perez spoke at a news conference Monday afternoon, sharing details about the men and saying they are now focused on supporting the men’s families and their grieving employees.
“It is with great regret that we stand before you. It has been a tragic 48 hours for Bernalillo County, and we are all lost,” said Pérez. “I’m trying to put words together to sum up what we feel, what we’re experiencing. It’s not possible.”
Peter Knudson, an NTSB spokesman, said there is flight tracking information that investigators will review to better understand the path the helicopter was taking on its way back to its home base in Albuquerque. He also said there may be 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 the monsoon season, there didn’t appear to be any adverse weather at the time of the accident, Knudson said.
“But we will see everything as part of the investigation,” he said.
The weekend turned out to be deadly for air travel. The NTSB has reported numerous fatal crashes in recent days, including one Sunday in Nevada in which four people were killed when two small planes collided at North Las Vegas airport.
In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered flags to fly at half-staff until sunset Friday in honor of first responders killed in Saturday’s crash.
Among them was Deputy Larry Koren, a veteran pilot who had been with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office for more than two decades. He was part of a New Year’s Day mission to rescue the employees and operator of a tram that got stuck while descending on the Sandia Peak cable car. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Lt. Fred Beers also helped with that winter rescue and was among those killed in Saturday’s crash. Beers, who had been with the sheriff’s office for 13 years, left behind a wife and son.
Also killed were Officer Michael Levison, who had been with the sheriff’s office since 2017 and had served in the New Mexico Air National Guard, and Bernalillo County Fire Department Rescue Specialist Matthew King, who was a husband and wife. father of two children.
Other law enforcement officers and firefighters lined highway overpasses as the men’s bodies were brought to Albuquerque on Sunday. Many saluted while others put their hands to their hearts. Some also spoke about how the men were always ready to serve beyond their jurisdiction.
“They went out willingly and it takes a very special person to be so brave,” Gonzales said Monday, adding that the air support team never turned down requests for help.
The team had spent a few hours Saturday afternoon making drops of water and moving equipment for firefighters battling a fire south of Las Vegas. They departed the Las Vegas airport around 6:30 pm, just after refueling, and less than 45 minutes later they disappeared from radar.
Authorities did not say if there was radio traffic from the helicopter immediately before the crash.
Two New Mexico State Police officers were the first to arrive on the scene and attempted to render assistance. Authorities did not say if any of the crash victims were conscious when officers arrived.
It’s been a particularly harsh start to fire season, with the Bernalillo County crew just a month ago helping to pour water on a wildfire that raged in a rugged area on Albuquerque’s eastern edge. With resources stretching thin across the region, municipal firefighters and first responders have often been assigned to help with the wildfire effort.