NTSB releases final investigation report into fatal BCSO helicopter crash

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – It’s been nearly two years since a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s helicopter crashed in northern New Mexico. That day, we lost four local emergency responders.

We waited nearly two years to learn the exact causes of this terrible tragedy. Now federal investigators are releasing disturbing answers.

Aviation experts have suspected a mechanical problem since the crash in July 2022, and the National Transportation Safety Board’s report confirmed this on Wednesday.

However, the agency’s final report also suggests that the mechanical problem could have been prevented. According to the report, a particular gear connected to the starter generator broke and this ultimately caused the engine to shut down.

The report points out that the helicopter was only about 150 meters above the ground and that special atmospheric conditions made it difficult for it to stay in the air.

According to the report, it only took about a minute for the helicopter to crash to the ground.

All four men on board were killed in the incident, including BCSO Undersheriff Larry Koren, Lt. Fred Beers, Deputy Michael Levison and Rescue Specialist Matt King.

They were all experienced first responders flying back to Albuquerque after helping firefighters battle a wildfire near Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Koren and Beers spent a lot of time in Metro 2. They both helped rescue nearly two dozen people from a frozen Sandia Peak Tramway just months before the accident.

That is why it is particularly concerning that the NTSB found that the crash was due to poor maintenance.

According to the report, there was a significant mechanical problem almost a year before the fatal accident. A small piece of magnetic metal was discovered in the engine oil system.

The report states that crews flushed out the problem and cleaned the filters, which was correct. However, the report reveals that operators never conducted a laboratory analysis to determine the exact cause of the problem.

Investigators believe that this could have prevented future problems and impending outages.

The report adds that flying straight into the sunset and adverse atmospheric conditions contributed to the crash, but it appears that lack of maintenance was the most serious problem.

Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen released a statement Wednesday saying:

“The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office has received the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) final investigation report into the Metro 2 helicopter crash on July 16, 2022. This devastating event resulted in the loss of four precious lives and had a profound impact on our team and our community.

When Sheriff John Allen took office in January 2023, he recognized that the NTSB report might indicate that the operations of the Metro Air Support Unit (MASU) needed to be improved. In response, and noting the previous administration’s rapid and premature reinstatement of the MASU just months after the tragedy, Sheriff Allen immediately decommissioned the unit. He initiated a comprehensive review and overhaul of all operating procedures to improve safety and efficiency, including revising and creating new standard operating procedures and acquiring a new aircraft that meets the highest safety standards.

During his first year, Sheriff Allen, in collaboration with MASU members and the Bernalillo County Fire Department, conducted a detailed evaluation of all protocols and procedures in accordance with industry standards. This comprehensive, year-long review was critical to MASU’s confident restart in December 2023, now supported by increased safety measures, including the hiring of an additional pilot and mechanic.

Given the NTSB’s findings, it is clear that our decision to pause and thoroughly remediate MASU was not only necessary, but critical,” Sheriff Allen said. “We have taken every possible step to ensure that such a tragedy does not happen again. We owe it to our community and the families of Pilot Undersheriff Larry Koren, Lieutenant Fred Beers, Deputy Micheal Levison and BCFR Rescue Specialist Captain Matthew King to uphold the highest standards of safety and service. We will honor their memories with our actions.”