End of Watch June 13, 1992
Age 49
Tour of Duty 19 yrs
The Vigil Panel 138 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Pilot Louis Stahl was killed in a helicopter crash near Sunland Park, New Mexico while tracking a group of suspected illegal aliens at about 1:20 pm. The Hughes OH-6 helicopter he was piloting struck a set of powerlines approximately 75 feet above railroad tracks just east of Mount Cristo Rey. As a result of striking the lines, the helicopter was knocked into the second set of powerlines and then fell to the ground. The subjects that Pilot Stahl was tracking immediately went to a nearby business and alerted employees of the crash. The employees called 911 and then went to the scene to render aid until rescue units arrived. Pilot Stahl succumbed to injuries at the scene. Pilot Stahl was a United States Army veteran of the Vietnam War and had served with the United States Border Patrol for 19 years. He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter. He was buried in the Fort Bliss National Cemetery in El Paso, Texas.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-625BD149
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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Pilot Stahl gave the United States Department of Justice 19 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity usdjinsusbpfed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 13, 1992
Tour of Duty 19 yrs
Age 49
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Louis Deitrich Stahl served in the Army (1966–1967) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Pilot Louis Deitrich Stahl 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 Justice - Immigration and Naturalization Service - United States Border Patrol, 46 of 68 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 67.6% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of Justice - Immigration and Naturalization Service - United States Border Patrol
46
of 68 officers
67.6% Accident
DC — Statewide
454
of 1,419 officers
32% Accident
Nationwide
10,088
of 32,508 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Louis Deitrich Stahl's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Louis Deitrich Stahl Compares

Age at End of Watch
49
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
19
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Louis Deitrich Stahl is highlighted in Jun.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
707
May
847
Jun
795
Jul
897
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location