Pilot Morley Lester Miller

Morley Lester Miller

Pilot Morley Miller and Patrol Officer John Hollingsworth were killed in a helicopter accident approximately 1/2-mile west of Fort Stockton, Texas, while on a patrol flight at 12:11 pm.

The helicopter was heading south from Fort Stockton when the helicopter started backfiring. Pilot Miller maneuvered the chopper over a field away from the manufacturing plant and people. He had gained control when the helicopter shot up in the air and then came straight down. The tail landed first and burst into flames. Two state troopers and a citizen tried to pull the officers out of the wreckage, but it was too late. Pilot Miller was credited with saving the lives of the plant workers.

Pilot Miller had served in law enforcement for a total of 22 years. He had served with the U.S. Customs Service for ten years and had previously served with the U.S. Border Patrol for five years and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for seven years. He was survived by his wife, four children, and one grandchild. He was buried in the Desert Lawn Memorial Park in Palmdale, California.