KWES NewsWest 9 / Midland, Odessa, Big Spring, TX: newswest9.com | NM official: chopper had no mechanical problem

NM official: chopper had no mechanical problem

Associated Press - November 18, 2009 3:45 PM ET

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - Public Safety Secretary John Denko says investigators have found no mechanical malfunctions in a state police helicopter that crashed in June during a mountain rescue of a lost hiker.

Denko told legislators on Wednesday the cause of the accident remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board but so far there's no evidence of mechanical problems with the helicopter. He said a federal report on the crash will not be ready for six months or more.

The crash occurred shortly after the hiker was picked up in the mountains near Santa Fe. The hiker and pilot died, but another crew member survived.

State police expect to receive a new $6 million helicopter next month to replace the one lost in the crash.

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