Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Robert Bittick and Deputy Commissioner Claude Everett Swackhammer, of the Alaska Department of Public Safety, were killed in an airplane accident in British Columbia, Canada, just north of Haines, Alaskaa. Sergeant Bittick was piloting the plane back to Juneau when it crashed during a period of bad weather. Sergeant Bittick had served with the Alaska State Troopers for 15 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, four adult children and their spouses, and 7 grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AK-5BCC7E44- 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 Bittick gave the Alaska State Troopers 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Alaska. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Bittick.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Robert Lee Bittick 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 AK, 14 of 50 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28% of this state's fallen. That is 3 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Alaska State Troopers, 5 of 12 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 41.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Lee Bittick's cause is highlighted.
How Robert Lee Bittick Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Lee Bittick is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
11 officers from Alaska State Troopers are honored on badge.nw.
