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Bernalillo County resumes sheriff's helicopter operations, months after deadly crash
Sixteen months after a crash killed four first responders, Bernalillo County has resumed its law enforcement helicopter operations.
Bernalillo County Sheriff鈥檚 officials said the Metro 1 Air Support Unit took to the sky Tuesday after months of training for pilots and mechanics, with some deputies becoming tactical flight officers.
The A-Star B3 helicopter initially will fly law enforcement missions exclusively, including air patrol, critical incident response and collaborative operations with the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Police Department鈥檚 Air Unit.
Sheriff鈥檚 officials said Metro 3 鈥� a fixed-wing Cessna T-41C 鈥� will transition to a non-response role and be used solely for training purposes.
They said a new helicopter known as Metro 4 will join the fleet in the coming months with the name Metro 2 being retired in honor of the fallen first responders, which included the county鈥檚 undersheriff.
The Metro 2 helicopter went down in July 2022 while returning from a firefighting mission. The cause of the crash still is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Following the fatal crash in the hills near Las Vegas, the sheriff鈥檚 office suspended helicopter operations.
