Roll of Honor
Michael T. "Tommy" Box
Incident
Pilot Tommy Box was killed in a plane crash while conducting aerial patrols near Anthony, New Mexico, at about 6:30 am. He had taken off from El Paso International Airport in a Cessna 170 to assist ground units search for illegal aliens in the area. He was flying at an altitude of approximately 100 feet when the engine stopped. He attempted to make an emergency landing in an irrigation canal approximately one mile northwest of Gadsden High School. The aircraft struck a submerged object on the canal bottom upon impact. Pilot Box’s seat strap was broken and he was thrown into the instrument panel, killing him instantly. The plane burst into flames, however, border patrol inspectors he had been helping on the ground were able to remove him from the aircraft within minutes after the crash. They performed CPR however he was pronounced dead by a doctor who lived nearby. The investigation into the crash revealed that the motor of the aircraft ceased apparently due to difficulty in the fuel system. Pilot Box was survived by his wife and son. He was buried in the Nevada Cemetery, Collin County, Texas.
Survivors
Pilot Box was survived by his wife and son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-6ECF0E8D- 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
27 years. You could have gone home.
Pilot Box gave the United States Department of Justice 27 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Pilot Box.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Pilot Michael T. "Tommy" Box 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.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Michael T. "Tommy" Box's cause is highlighted.
How Michael T. "Tommy" Box Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Michael T. "Tommy" Box is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
67 officers from United States Department of Justice - Immigration and Naturalization Service - United States Border Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
