Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Charles Bassing, Investigator Kevin Brosch of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, and Detective James Avant of the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department were killed in a helicopter crash at 1 pm. The three officers were being trained by DEA agents as spotters for a marijuana eradication program. The aircraft was taking off from the Mt. Ida Municipal Airport when it experienced a mechanical failure and crashed into the ground. The helicopter, which had just been refueled, burst into flames. All three officers were burned to death as a result. Trooper Bassing had served with the Arkansas State Police for 9 months.
Survivors
He is survived by his parents, son, and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AR-A440FB8A- 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.
Trooper Bassing served with the Arkansas State Police.
Thank you for your service to the people of Arkansas. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Bassing.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper Charles Michael Bassing 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 AR, 92 of 372 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.7% of this state's fallen. That is 6.3 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Arkansas State Police, 15 of 23 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 65.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles Michael Bassing's cause is highlighted.
How Charles Michael Bassing Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Michael Bassing is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
22 officers from Arkansas State Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
