California Highway Patrol, California
End of Watch Friday, September 1, 1978
Add to My HeroesGayle W. Wood, Jr.
Officer Wood and Officer James McCabe were killed when their helicopter struck a power line support tower which was not visible in the darkness. They were just finishing up their air patrol when the accident occurred near Castaic Lake on I-5.
Officer Wood had been with the agency for ten years and had been a pilot for five years.
Bio
- Age 41
- Tour 10 years
- Badge 6746
Incident Details
- Cause Aircraft accident
Related LODD Deaths
Officer James E. McCabe
California Highway Patrol, CA
EOW: September 1, 1978
Most Recent Reflection
View all 17 ReflectionsGale was a friend and flying buddy of my dad's when I was a kid. I met Gale when I was about 10 years old. He was a motor officer, stopping by the house to visit dad when we lived in Huntington Beach. Ever since then I wanted to be a policeman. I retired from law enforcement in June of 2018 after serving more than 34 years with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you Gale, may you rest in peace.
Deputy Mike Mansur (Ret.)
Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, Wa.
April 7, 2020
Recent LODD Deaths
Special Agent John Bost, III
United States Department of Justice - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, US
EOW: July 28, 2020
Sergeant Steven Splan
Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety, MI
EOW: August 2, 2020
Police Officer Corey Pendergrass
Lauderhill Police Department, FL
EOW: July 26, 2020
Master Sergeant Henry Turner
Louisiana Department of Corrections, LA
EOW: July 18, 2020
Investigator Mark Brown
Harris County Constable's Office - Precinct 5, TX
EOW: July 25, 2020
Border Patrol Agent Agustin Aguilar, Jr.
United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - United States Border Patrol, US
EOW: July 25, 2020
Trooper Caleb Starr
Michigan State Police, MI
EOW: July 31, 2020
Investigator Donald K. Sumner
Patton State Hospital Police Department, CA
EOW: July 14, 2020
Officer Roel De La Fuente
United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations, US
EOW: July 13, 2020