By Barry Massey
The Associated Press
SANTA FE, N.M. — Authorities say a programming error on cell phone towers misrouted 911 calls from a lost hiker who died in a rescue helicopter crash last month, but the problem has been corrected.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano said Thursday there was no significant delay in the search and rescue mission despite the 911 system glitch. The hiker’s initial calls went to a non-emergency line. But within a few minutes, the hiker was transferred to a state police dispatcher.
The hiker, Megumi Yamamoto of Tokyo, died when a state police helicopter crashed shortly after picking her up in the mountains near Santa Fe. The helicopter pilot was killed but another crew member survived. The cause of the accident is under investigation.