Mission Police Department, Texas
End of Watch: Wednesday, October 2, 1974
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 6 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Aircraft accident
Date of Incident: October 2, 1974
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Patrolman Humberto Avila was killed when the helicopter he was flying crashed shortly after takeoff. It was later determined that the cause of the accident was due to the use of the wrong type of bolts.
Dispatcher Douglas Dodson of the Harlingen Police Department, who was acting as observer, was also killed. The helicopter was co-owned by several regional agencies.
Patrolman Avila was a U.S. Army veteran and served with the Mission Police Department for six years.was survived by his wife and six children.