One found; helicopter
search continues

SANTA FE (KRQE) - A spotter who was on board a police helicopter that went down near Santa Fe during a rescue mission on Tuesday has been found, according to state police.

Chief Farron Segotta said patrolman Wesley Cox of the New Mexico State Police found rescuers near a pond after walking away from the helicopter.

Segotta said Cox was suffering from hypothermia. He's currently in serious condition at CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe.

Cox had said he didn't believe the other two people on the helicopter would make it out alive, but searchers have not yet located them.

A National Guard Black Hawk helicopter used a basket to bring Cox up around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. The helicopter then brought him to the hospital, where he walked to a waiting gurney.

Segotta said searchers are still looking for the helicopter and two other people who were on board: Sgt. Andy Tingwall, the pilot, and Negumi Yamamoto, who Tingwall and Cox had rescued after she got lost.

According to the state Department of Public Safety, Tingwall around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday told dispatchers via radio that the helicopter made contact with the hillside at about 11,000 feet. He didn't say whether the helicopter crashed or made a hard landing.

Ground crews moved in right away to search for the helicopter, aided by an emergency transponder that's giving an approximate location of the crash site. A military satellite that passes over the area every 90 minutes or so has been picking up the signal.

Information from Cox and some campers who said they saw the helicopter go down is also helping searchers pinpoint the location.

But wet, cloudy weather, including some snow, is hampering efforts. Visibility has been as low as 50 feet, preventing searchers from using aircraft in the search for much of the night.

"I'll sign every possible emergency declaration so we can rescue them," said Gov. Bill Richardson at the temporary command center. He and his wife, Barbara Richardson, were there to lend their moral support as well.

Segotta said searchers are optimistic because Tingwall had radioed in.

Tingwall, 36, has been with state police for 13 and a half years, and has been a pilot for five of those years. Cox, a patrolman, joined the department in December 2002.

The pair had recently picked up Yamamoto, who had gotten lost in the area.

Tingwall and Cox are described as very experienced men who have the skills needed to survive. Both have earned awards for their work: Tingwall was awarded the Medal of Valor by the Police and Sheriff's Association for rescuing a man from an arroyo last summer, while Cox was given a Purple Heart after he was hit by a car on Interstate 25 south of Santa Fe in 2001.

Tingwall on Friday is due to be awarded the New Mexico State Police Medal of Valor for the arroyo rescue.

Santa Fe County deputies, Bernalillo County deputies, Santa Fe police, Albuquerque police and about 20 members of the New Mexico National Guard are helping with the search.

Two National Guard Black Hawk helicopters and Bernalillo County's Metro One helicopter have also joined in, but had to turn back Wednesday morning because of thick clouds, snow and icing. They resumed the search later Wednesday morning, but were still unable to get through the clouds and snow to search.

Searchers believe the helicopter is near the Santa Fe Ski Area, which is on the rugged west face of the Sangre de Cristos with peaks rising above 12,000 feet. The region is heavily forested and cut with deep canyons.