New Mexico Pilot/Trooper Found Dead

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. --

State police have confirmed that hiker Megumi Yamamoto and pilot Sgt. Andy Tingwall have been found dead.

Officials said earlier Thursday that they feared university student Yamamoto did not survive the crash Tuesday night.

The chopper had just rescued Yamamoto, who had been on a hiking trip, when it hit the side of a mountain. The third person aboard, state police officer Wesley Cox, managed to reach safety Wednesday.

Cox, who hiked away from the crash, told police he had checked the hiker's vital signs and concluded she died from injuries in the crash.

The New Mexico State Police Web site has posted a memorial for Tingwall.

Helicopters airlifted rescuers as close as they could to the wreckage of a state police helicopter Thursday, looking for two people missing from a crash on a 12,000-foot mountain near Santa Fe.

State police said they found the helicopter Wednesday.

Search Continues For Missing Pilot, Hiker

Two Blackhawk Helicopters landed near the crash site Thursday and dropped off two ground crews to search area.

The helicopter was found at about 7:30 p.m., more than 20 miles away from the command center in Hyde Memorial State Park.

State Police Chief Faron Segotta said he spoke to Officer Wesley Cox, who was rescued Wednesday afternoon.

He said Cox told him there was a strike of the tail rotor when he and Sgt. Andrew Tingwall were rescuing lost hiker Megumi Yamamoto.

Cox said they were 12,300 feet in the air and were unable to get the altitude they needed.

"They struck the hillside, we believe the helicopter rolled down the hillside about 100 feet or so," said New Mexico State Police Chief Faron Segotta.

Cox told Segotta that he, Tingwall and Yamamoto were thrown from the helicopter.

Waiting For Rescue

Cox said when he came to, he began searching for the two.

He was able to maintain audio contact with Tingwall throughout the night.

Although the two couldn't see each other, they would periodically yell out each other's names.

"They would call out each other's names," Segotta said. "Andy? Wes? Andy? Wes? That's how they communicated."

Cox said he hunkered down inside the aircraft overnight, waiting for the ground crews to arrive.

When it became light out, he said he lost contact with Tingwall.

That's when he knew he needed to get help.

Cox was met by one of the ground crews early Wednesday afternoon.

He was taken to St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe with extreme hypothermia, internal injuries, injuries to his right leg and back, and several cuts.

Cox is listed in serious condition. The hypothermia had improved dramatically by Wednesday night.

The Pilot

Tingwall is no stranger to dangerous missions. Last summer, he rescued a man from rushing arroyo near Interstate 40 and Carlisle.

The rescue earned Tingwall the honor of Officer of the Year by the New Mexico State Sheriff's and Police Association.

"Any law enforcement officer within the state, if they would have been in the same position as me, they would have done the same thing that I did," he said at the time. "I just want to thank those men and women for being a part of them and being a part of this profession."

Gov. Bill Richardson said he was taking the news of Tingwall's crash hard.

"Andy Tingwall is the brother of one of the members of my security detail," he said. "Andy Tingwall has also flown me in the helicopter."

He said he has committed all of the state's resources necessary to assist with the rescue effort.

Missing Hiker

Megumi Yamamoto is a student at the University of New Mexico who is originally from Tokyo. Police said she and her boyfriend were hiking on Tuesday when they became separated and lost.

Her call to 911 led to the large ground search and the launch of the helicopter.

Her boyfriend made it to safety but spent the night helping search and rescue teams.

Related:

Officer Survives New Mexico Helicopter Crash

New Mexico Pilot/Officer Still Missing

New Mexico State Police

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