Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, Texas
End of Watch: Wednesday, September 17, 1997
Age: 45
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Aircraft accident
Date of Incident: September 17, 1997
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Investigator Thomas Smith and Lieutenant George Hendrix were killed when their Bell OH-58A helicopter crashed at Kenneth Copeland Airport.
Lieutenant Hendrix was piloting the aircraft, one of two donated to the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office by the United States military.
Witnesses stated that the helicopter had just taken off when it plummeted straight down. Bystanders pulled both deputies from the wreckage and administered CPR but were unable to save them due to intensive spinal, head, and internal injuries.