A loss of engine power due to poor maintenance caused a 2022 helicopter crash in New Mexico that claimed the lives of four Bernalillo County first responders as they were returning home from a firefighting mission, according to federal investigators.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board issued a final report Wednesday. They also noted that a maneuver to account for the loss of power was complicated by the setting sun and low altitude and contributed to the crash of the Bell UH-1H helicopter.
