Radio Singla from missing NMSP helicopter detected near Santa Fe NM

[4phun]

Radio Signal from missing NMSP helicopter detected near Santa Fe NM

I received this update message from Crisis Alert about 9 AM EDT on 09-10-09

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - New Mexico authorities say rescue teams are within a half-mile of the snow-covered mountain area where they expect to find a State Police helicopter that went missing near Santa Fe.

Department of Public Safety spokesman Peter Olson said Wednesday the team was on foot hiking through snow and rain in the early morning darkness near the top of 12,000-foot Santa Fe Baldy.

That area about 15 miles northeast of Santa Fe is where they picked up a weak signal from a State Police helicopter that went missing Tuesday night shortly after it picked up a lost hiker.

The pilot reported trouble in his last radio transmission at about 9 p.m. A spotter was also on board.

Olson said the team has not yet found any wreckage.

[UPMan]

I've hiked and backpacked quite a bit in that general area, albeit usually in August and also more toward the Pecos Baldy area. Easy to take a wrong turn if you aren't careful (I always carry enough to get me through a full 24 hours, even on a day hike up there). Even in August, temperatures can drop to near freezing quite rapidly at that altitude. Hope they make it out OK.

I usually do a planned overnight at Pecos Baldy Lake (East of Pecos Baldy).
Google Maps

[abqscan]

TFR: 9/2727 NOTAM Details

CAP is up on 123.025 and Lobo Ops are using 302.2.

SAR Freqs:

VHF

155.160 State SAR (ACTIVE)
151.370 SAR No. 2
159.285 SAR No. 3


UHF

460.250 No. 1
465.250 No. 2

The WX is poor right now and the mountains are being obscured.

[letarotor]

This in about an hour and a half ago. Lets keep our fingers crossed for the pilot and hiker. MC

....copter
By BARRY MASSEY – 1 hour ago

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — One of three people aboard a New Mexico state police helicopter that went down on a snowy 12,000-foot mountain has survived the crash, officials said.

But State Police Chief Faron Segotta says the fate of the other two people aboard, including a missing hiker, has not been confirmed.

Segotta says the survivor, 29-year-old officer Wesley Cox, is at a Santa Fe hospital and "extremely hypothermic."

He says Cox spotted a ground rescue team and that he got to them.

Cox was the spotter on the helicopter as it searched for a missing hiker.

Segotta says a National Guard helicopter is still trying to find the missing copter.

The pilot, Sgt. Andrew Tingwall of Santa Fe, radioed in his last transmission that he hit the mountain Tuesday night after picking up the hiker, Negumi Yamamoto, on Santa Fe Baldy.

[abqscan]

Just talked to a friend thats @ the Santa Fe Airport. He's talking to all the pilots, media and NG, thus their grounded right now =( He said the NG has the GPS location of the 406 ELT, but when they got to the spot, it turned up empty, so their guessing the signal is bouncing off the walls in the canyons.

1557: Friend just called back, said the NG, CAP, and News 13 just took off back to the search area.

[letarotor]

Erik, if you find out any additional info let us know. I've been following this story all day and still have hope at this point.
www.KOB.com - Searchers find crashed helicopter
Lets hope and pray at this point that Sgt. Tingwell is caring or Yamamoto and they will find them both alive in the morning. Looks like the weather has cleared at least.

Mark

[abqscan]

They did find the crash site and crews were able to turn off the ELT, they took a bunch of digital pictures and didn't say anything else. Lots of conflicting reports from what I'm hearing on the radio vs. what the Media is reporting. SAR reported they left the scene for the night and the media says there are crews searching still??? Nothing else to report right now...

[kj5kg]

Hello Gents,

All tactical air to ground will be on 155.160 with support ops on the freqs given. There is most likely a logistics net on a ham repeater (try Upper Rio FM Society repeaters or the 145.190 Pajarito mtn repeater). I suggest this because I know that Bernalillo County ARES has taken over logs. Tactical traffic is unlikely on anything but 155.160. CD-1 in Los Alamos is relaying traffic from field teams to IB. Field traffic from the crash site will be rough today.

I was scheduled to be the NMSP D-1 SAR Field Coordinator this week and would have drawn the hiker mission had I been in town. I am on vacation in Southern California and it is very frustrating for me to be here without a radio.

Dave

Originally Posted by abqscan

TFR: 9/2727 NOTAM Details

CAP is up on 123.025 and Lobo Ops are using 302.2.

SAR Freqs:

VHF

155.160 State SAR (ACTIVE)
151.370 SAR No. 2
159.285 SAR No. 3


UHF

460.250 No. 1
465.250 No. 2

The WX is poor right now and the mountains are being obscured.

[letarotor]

Just found this article, unfortunately Sgt. Tingwell and Ms. Yamamota didn't survive. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and the New Mexico State Police.

"Police Detective/Chaplain M.C. Williams
June 10, 2009
From my newsletter pursuant to the crash of a New Mexico State Police helicopter during a search and rescue operation last night: NMSP Trooper Wes Cox, the chopper spotter, has been found alive and is being treated at a Santa Fe hospital. However, the pilot, NMSP Sgt. Andy Tingwall, was found dead along with passenger Negumi Yamamoto. Wes and Andy had picked up Yamamoto during a S & R operation prior to the crash in horrendous weather conditions. Andy's wife, a NMSP dispatcher, was reportedly on duty when the crash occurred. Wes is expected to recover (praise God). Let's be in prayer for our brother's family(s) and Ms. Yamamoto's as well. Our brothers were doing exactly what all of us were called to do...OUTSTANDING BEHAVIOR!"

[kj5kg]

Originally Posted by letarotor

Just found this article, unfortunately Sgt. Tingwell and Ms. Yamamota didn't survive. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and the New Mexico State Police.

"Police Detective/Chaplain M.C. Williams
June 10, 2009
From my newsletter pursuant to the crash of a New Mexico State Police helicopter during a search and rescue operation last night: NMSP Trooper Wes Cox, the chopper spotter, has been found alive and is being treated at a Santa Fe hospital. However, the pilot, NMSP Sgt. Andy Tingwall, was found dead along with passenger Negumi Yamamoto. Wes and Andy had picked up Yamamoto during a S & R operation prior to the crash in horrendous weather conditions. Andy's wife, a NMSP dispatcher, was reportedly on duty when the crash occurred. Wes is expected to recover (praise God). Let's be in prayer for our brother's family(s) and Ms. Yamamoto's as well. Our brothers were doing exactly what all of us were called to do...OUTSTANDING BEHAVIOR!"

Please keep in mind that NMSP has not released the condition of Ms. Yamamoto and Sgt. Tingwall has yet to be located.

Dave

[drgensel]

Originally Posted by kj5kg

Please keep in mind that NMSP has not released the condition of Ms. Yamamoto and Sgt. Tingwall has yet to be located.

Dave

While the NMSP have not released the condition of the hiker, they have placed a memorial on their website for Sgt Tingwall. However, the media is still operating under the assumption he has not even been located yet.

New Mexico State Police | Home Page Training and Recruiting Application Career Opportunities

The order of press releases seems very chaotic at this point.

[kj5kg]

As a member of the NMSP SAR Field Coordinator corps and someone who has worked with Andy on many occasions, I was holding onto any hope that I could. Unfortunately, Chief Sagotta has confirmed that both my colleague and the SAR subject he had rescued earlier perished in the crash.

Godspeed Andy.

Dave