Roll of Honor
David Louie Crater
Incident
Pilot David Crater and Pilot James Taylor were killed in an aircraft crash along the United States-Mexico border near Calexico, California. They were flying in the area to serve as a reference point for radar detectors that had been moved into the area. The Cessna 441 Conquest they were operating crashed approximately one-half mile south of the border after it struck a 300-foot ridge. A search was initiated after ground units lost contact with the aircraft. Pilot Crater had served with the United States Customs Service for seven months.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-EA036CAB- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Pilot Crater served with the United States Department of the Treasury.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Pilot Crater.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Pilot David Louie Crater is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In DC, 454 of 1,419 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service, 44 of 94 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 46.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. David Louie Crater's cause is highlighted.
How David Louie Crater Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. David Louie Crater is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
93 officers from United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
