I didn't see this story posted previously:

"A New Mexico police officer was rescued Wednesday after surviving a helicopter crash in the snowy Santa Fe National Forest, but the fate of the pilot remained unknown.

The pilot, Andrew Tingwall, remains missing after the helicopter's crash in the Santa Fe National Forest.

Officer Wesley Cox spent Tuesday night by the chopper's wreckage before walking out and making contact with search teams, said state police spokesman Lt. Eric Garcia."-CNN

The crash happened after the helicopter picked up a lost hiker in the Santa Fe Ski Area.

More of the story can be found here. Links from that story to previous coverage of the events as they unfolded can be found there.

It sounds like even the rescue helicopter should have carried a PLB!

All I could think of when I read about this was how thankful I am that there are people who risk their lives to save others. That doesn't just go for helicopter rescue. So to the many firefighters, LEOs, military, and civilian rescue members who frequent the site, let me say thanks. I've been lucky enough to not need you, but I'm always glad you're there.

CNN now reporting the pilot and hiker found dead.

http://www.koat.com/cnn-news/19718871/detail.html

I'm a member of one of the SAR teams based out of Santa Fe that was called up for both the initial search and the search for the helicopter after it went down. I'm currently out of the state, and did not get a chance to take part in the search, but I've been getting update and chatter constantly for the past few days.

Most of us are still in shock. This is one of those worst-case scenarios that we train for and hope never, ever happens. We know we face very real danger with every call out, these officers knew the same thing. It's impossible to overstate the bravery and selflessness of these two men, who went out in a helicopter into the teeth of a blinding storm, over some of the most rugged and inhospitable terrain the state has to offer, in order to try to save the lives of strangers.

I'm still getting accounts from team mates. The thing that keeps coming up is the speed with which this went from a standard (if there is such a thing) search for a pair of missing hikers to an absolute, all out crisis scenario with the lost of the copter, and then the wrenching pain when that turned into a recovery mission. It's a stern reminder of how quickly these situations can go wrong.