Police News

a federal report is out more than a year and a half after a helicopter crash killed a state police pilot and the hiker he was trying to rescue. the pilot's wife says the crash could have been prevented. abby roedel has been reading through the extensive report. she's live in the newsroom with more details. the national transportation safety board report is about 12-hundred pages. it describes a man who was passionate about his job - so much so that one former colleague said he didn't have a "no switch." when sgt. andrew tingwall first got the call to fly on june 9, 2009, he said it was too windy. about five minutes later, he decided to go. hiker megumi yamamoto was cold, lost and alone in the mountains near santa fe without food or water. the report includes interviews with 13 people- including tingwall's wife - the dispatcher on duty that night. leighann tingwall says in the report that if she were to blame the accident on anything it would be her husband's additional duties as public information officer. she says the commitment didn't allow him to get enough rest and that he had voiced his concerns to his supervisors on a number of occassions. tingwall describes her husband as the type who did what he was ordered to do. he had already flown two missions the day of the crash and was at home resting when he got the call. tingwall's wife adds in the report that she didn't know if her husband felt pressure to fly. i spoke to lt. eric garcia, the public information officer for the state police. he says tingwall is entitled to her opinion and that her husband was cautious and effective at balancing his two duties