Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant David May was killed in a police helicopter crash while following the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics. Witnesses stated that the tail rotor on the chopper stopped turning, causing him to lose control of the helicopter, which went into a spin and crashed.
The passenger in the helicopter, a Special Olympics photographer, was also killed.
Sergeant May had served with the Missouri State Highway Patrol for 18 years. He had been a pilot for the Missouri State Highway Patrol since 1990.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two daughters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-BD15DAE3- 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.
Sergeant May gave the Missouri State Highway Patrol 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Missouri. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant May.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant David Cargene May 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 MO, 237 of 813 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.2% of this state's fallen. That is 1.8 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Missouri State Highway Patrol, 18 of 33 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 54.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. David Cargene May's cause is highlighted.
How David Cargene May Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. David Cargene May is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
32 officers from Missouri State Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
