On February 16, 1997, Deputy Pat Coyle was working as the evening shift observer in a Sheriff’s helicopter assigned to Aerial Support to Regional Enforcement Agencies (ASTREA). Deputy Coyle and his partner, pilot and Deputy Ron Hobson, landed in a rural area northeast of Santee, California, to investigate suspicious activities of several people they saw on the ground. After the two Deputies reboarded the helicopter and attempted to lift off, the helicopter lost power and crashed, seriously injuring both Deputies. Still conscious as he awaited evacuation, Deputy Coyle dictated messages to be delivered to his loved ones, before succumbing to his injuries at the crash site. The crash marked the first fatal accident in ASTREA’s 25-year history.
During his assignment to ASTREA, Deputy Coyle was among a group of Deputies to be awarded a Medal of Lifesaving for rescuing five undocumented border crossers who had fallen off a 120-foot cliff near Otay Reservoir at the US-Mexico border. In the night darkness, Deputy Coyle risked his life as he and his fellow crewmembers hovered to set their helicopter on a single skid to rescue the injured.
Marking Deputy Coyle’s tragic death, San Diego Sheriff Bill Kolender said, “Patrick Steven Coyle was a heroic and courageous deputy sheriff who never gave up,” Sheriff Bill Kolender said. “He died with his law enforcement friends – his second family. He was never alone.” On August 18, 1999, the ASTREA base in San Marcos, California, was dedicated to Deputy Coyle, bearing his name today.
Deputy Coyle was survived by his wife, Jackie, and their two children, Chelsea and Cory.
End of Watch
February 16, 1997
Service Tenure
9 years
Age
42