By Gregory Hasman
Albuquerque Journal
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Two pilots and two Albuquerque first responders killed in northeast Arizona while en route to pick up a patient were remembered Tuesday as having dedicated their lives to helping others.
“Even though I did not have the opportunity to know these individuals, their lives speak volumes to me,” retired Bernalillo County Fire Chief Gregory Perez said during a memorial service at the Kiva Auditorium in Downtown Albuquerque. “Just by showing up to work each and every day, they acted with compassion for the sick and for the dying and for the communities that rely so heavily on them.”
The CSI Aviation plane was carrying paramedic Nick Mancuso, 37, nurse Kameilia “Kami” Chavez, 38, pilot Jeffrey Tuning, 66, and copilot Amanda Benson, 25, both of Florida, when it crashed Aug. 5 while on approach to the airport in Chinle, Arizona.
“This loss is a reminder of the courage that it takes to answer the call for help and to face the unknown for the sake of saving someone else’s life,” CSI Aviation Chief Operating Officer William “Rock” Collins said. "... But I’m here to tell you that we know by running toward danger when others won’t is more than just a job. It’s a choice that few others are willing to make. In fact, it’s what heroes are made of.”
The cause of the crash is still unknown, and the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
‘Bringing care and comfort to others’
Mancuso, Chavez, Tuning and Benson — Tuning’s stepdaughter — were known for their dedication to helping others.
CSI Aviation Vice President of Medical Operations Shane Farmer said Marcuso and Chavez were “kindred spirits.”
“They both were committed to healing, to compassion, to excellence and their deep love for their families,” he said.
Mancuso was remembered for his flannel shirts, wearing his hat backward and being a “tireless advocate for his patients,” Farmer said.
“For Nick, being a paramedic wasn’t just a job. It was truly a calling,” he said. “It blended his love for science and helping others.”
Chavez, a devoted wife and mother, became a nurse because “she believed every life was worth fighting for and she carried that mission in every patient interaction,” Farmer said.
“In their final moments, Kami and Nick were doing exactly what they were meant to do: they were bringing care, hope and comfort to others,” he added.
Tuning, who once served in the U.S. Navy and flew with commercial airlines, was known for being “calm, capable and inspiring,” CSI Aviation Vice President of Flight Operations Alex Katkov said.
As Tuning followed a passion he cultivated in a life of flight, Benson began living out her dream of being in the cockpit, Katkov said, describing the young pilot as a “rising star” and “quiet leader.”
“She had the mind of a scholar, the heart of an artist and the drive of a marathon runner,” Katkov said, adding that Benson also loved art, museums the outdoors and “the wide open sky.”
“Both Jeff and Amanda, though at different points in their careers, were embarking at the same time on new phases of their lives: piloting an air medical transport aircraft,” Katkov said. “Benson was a rising star. She’s already a quiet leader in the field. Her courage, her poise, her joy they left a mark on everyone around her.
“To lose them together doing what they love is a tragedy that words cannot fully hold — and yet a comfort, however fragile, in knowing they were side-by-side as they so often were.”
‘How to carry it with you’
Perez said the fatal crash reminded him of another, on July 16, 2022, when Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Undersheriff Larry Koren, 55; Lt. Fred Beers, 51; deputy Michael Levison, 30; and Bernalillo County Fire Rescue Specialist Matthew King, 44, were killed in a helicopter crash while returning home from conducting firefighting operations south of Las Vegas.
“I carry that loss with me still,” Perez said. “And honestly, standing here with each of you today, I feel many of the same emotions I experienced then all over again. ... Three years later, the pain and the void remain. The grief doesn’t simply disappear with time. It changes shape, but it never truly goes away. What you learn is how to carry it with you. You learn how to draw strength from those around you.”
© 2025 the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.).
Visit www.abqjournal.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
