When Sgt. Andrew F. "Andy" Tingwall and two fellow state police officers heard a man was caught in a flooded Albuquerque arroyo during a thunderstorm last August, they didn't hesitate. They left the dinners they had been eating at a restaurant and went looking for him.

Tingwall climbed down into the steep arroyo and hoisted the 6-foot-2, 200-pound man to safety from the roiling water.

It was the kind of devotion to duty that marked Tingwall's almost 14 years with state police, say those who have worked closely with him. "He was a rugged, kind-hearted man," said state Department of Public Safety spokesman Peter Olson.

On Tuesday evening, Tingwall, 36, was once again trying to help someone. The helicopter he was piloting crashed in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains east of Santa Fe shortly after he had picked up a lost hiker.

His co-workers and people who knew Tingwall waited and prayed for word as the night wore on and a stormy Wednesday morning dawned without searchers finding the helicopter.

At the state Capitol on Wednesday, employees including a security guard asked a reporter about Tingwall's condition throughout the day.

"Our hearts are filled with worry and concern," said Santa Fe City Police Capt. Gary Johnson on Wednesday afternoon. "We're all praying for a positive outcome."

By then, Johnson and others knew that the spotter with Tingwall, State Police Officer Wesley Cox, 29, had walked out. He told rescuers there were no other survivors.

Johnson said Tingwall was an excellent pilot and that some of the city's detectives had flown with him. He said Wednesday morning's briefing was "very somber" because Tingwall has worked so closely with so many officers. "Our prayers are with his family," he said.

Tingwall, who was part of the state police tactical team, was scheduled to work with the city's SWAT team to serve a search warrant Tuesday. "The plan was he would come meet with us after he dropped off the rescued person," Johnson said. "We were waiting to hear from them. We never got a call.

"He was prepared to switch hats from his search-and-rescue role to being a law enforcement officer again that same night," Johnson said.

Tingwall's brother, Steve Tingwall, works for Gov. Bill Richardson's security detail. The governor visited the command post on Hyde Park Road with his wife, Barbara, to show support.

"This personally affects me a lot," he said. "(Andy Tingwall) is a friend who has flown me and is like a member of the family."

Tingwall was named 2008 Officer of the Year in March by the New Mexico Sheriffs and Police Association for saving the Albuquerque man. He was to be honored by his fellow state police officers this month with a Medal of Valor for the same incident.

A couple of weeks before that rescue, Tingwall found a couple of Boy Scouts and their Scout leader who were lost in the Santa Fe National Forest. Tingwall found the three while piloting the helicopter and maneuvered into a position where the Scouts could be hoisted inside the craft with a cable.

Over the years, Tingwall worked in training, recruiting, public information and with the tactical teams. Tingwall served as a state police spokesman, providing information about incidents to the media. He was chief pilot for the state police aircraft division.

He married Leighann Gonzales, a state police dispatcher, in 1998. They have two daughters. "He spends every minute he can with his daughters," said Olson, while waiting for word that searchers had reached the crashed helicopter.

Olson said Tingwall is certified to fly several types of aircraft, including fixed wing and multi-engine. "That's one of the things he loves to do most is fly," Olson said.

News of the crash hit the law enforcement family hard. "Everyone is kind of in shock right now. I know everyone would have a kind word for him," Olson said.

Like firefighters, law enforcement officers share a deep bond. "Any time something doesn't go right for a law enforcement officer, we all take it very hard," Johnson said.

Into the evening, helicopters flew back and forth across Santa Fe to the mountains northeast of the city where the crash occurred.

Capitol reporter Kate Nash and reporter Jason Auslander contributed to this report.

Contact Staci Matlock at 986-3055 or smatlock@sfnewmexican.com.