Bernalillo County sheriff unveils new Metro 4 helicopter
The sheriff’s office rolled out Metro 4, a Bell 412EPI replacing the helicopter that crashed two years ago and killed four people.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office unveiled its new helicopter Tuesday: a Bell 412EPI the agency will designate Metro 4. The aircraft joins the Metro Air Support Unit and is set to replace Metro 2, the helicopter that crashed two years ago and killed four people.
The sheriff’s office has described the Bell 412EPI as a state-of-the-art addition to its air fleet. In a county with more than 676,000 residents, that matters well beyond the hangar door at Double Eagle II Airport: Bernalillo County stretches from Albuquerque into the East Mountains and other hard-to-reach terrain where a helicopter can get to a scene faster than a deputy driving surface roads.
That speed is the public value the county will be judged on. Sheriff’s helicopters are used for search-and-rescue calls, nighttime visibility, traffic support, surveillance in rugged terrain and rapid response when minutes matter. Air support has also been used in wildfire work, with a BCSO helicopter providing bucket drops and other air logistics support to fire crews.
The unveiling also arrived under the shadow of Metro 2’s crash. A National Transportation Safety Board report found the helicopter’s engine failed in part because of poor maintenance, and families of the people killed later settled a lawsuit. That history puts Metro 4 under a level of scrutiny that goes beyond a routine equipment replacement: residents will be looking for reliable service, strong maintenance and a clear record of missions completed without repeat failure.
BCSO helicopters also operate in a risk-filled environment even when they are not responding to a crash or rescue. KRQE separately reported a dangerous incident in which someone shone a laser at a sheriff’s helicopter during flight, a reminder that Metro 4’s job will include operating over neighborhoods, open space and mountain terrain where crews face hazards from both the ground and the sky. The county’s next test is not the unveiling itself, but whether Metro 4 shortens response times and expands what deputies can safely reach across Bernalillo County.
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