Horrible accident not far from here (Las Vegas, NM)

[Basil]

Don't yet know the cause of the crash, but four lives lost.

'Absolutely devastated' -- 4 Bernalillo County first responders killed in helicopter crash identified

Agency says three from sheriff's office and one Bernalillo County firefighter were heading back to Albuquerque after assisting in fire suppression efforts when crash occurred

www.abqjournal.com

 

[NutmegCT]

Really awful. Four men helping fight the fires, and that horrible crash happens. I first read about it in the Independent earlier today.

Four killed after sheriff’s helicopter crashes in New Mexico

The helicopter had been helping fire crews battle the East Mesa wildfire

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Grantura_MKI]

These people put their lives in danger to save us and our property. Sad story and prayers to the families.

 

[charlie74]

I had been in Las Vegas NM earlier this summer but couldn’t work due to winds. Does anyone who is local know what the weather was like when this incident occurred? From the maps I have seen it appears as thought the crash site is quite close to the airport which seems odd because the terrain in the area of the airport is pretty benign, density altitudes aside…
Sad new to be sure…

 

[NutmegCT]

Charlie - here's the NWS three day weather history for Las Vegas NM, going back to Saturday morning.

National Weather Service : Observed Weather for past 3 Days : Las Vegas Municipal Airport

At the time of the accident, looks like LV weather was partly cloudy with light southerly winds.

If you know the coordinates of the actual crash location, you can get the history of that area using the same NOAA website.

Tom M.

 

[DocDup1]

Before I retired I used to take my Summers off from the university and fly air tankers for the Forest Service. Unfortunately, these accidents happen a lot more often that most folks think. While this accident happened near a big city, most happen in the wilderness while fighting fire and they don't make the news. It is a dangerous job and you have to be a very skilled pilot to do it. Mt thoughts are with the family members dealing with this loss.

Rich

 

[Basil]

If you know the coordinates of the actual crash location, you can get the history of that area using the same NOAA website.

The article states the crash was near the small village of Chapelle, NM which is about 14 miles south of Las Vegas . Coordinates for that village are:
35.389317° Lat -105.293619° Long I looked around on that NOAA web site but couldn't find a tool to get history for specific locations, just towns or locations where this is a weather station. Where is the tool in question?
PS: I did a playback on Flight Radar for the time of the crash (+ or - 30 minutes) but the aircraft was not showing up (usually Sheriff Copters do show up, but not this time).

 

[NutmegCT]

Turns out the NWS has no station closer than Las Vegas.

 

[Basil]

Just kearned that one of the victims was the son of one of my wife's Sorority Sisters. Very sad.