Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Clifford Nelson was killed in an airplane crash during a search and rescue mission for a missing person. The plane was being used to search for a man who had gone missing while hunting in the Santa Catalina Mountains. The plane crashed into the Cañada del Oro approximatley four miles east of the Oracle Road. Deputy Nelson and the other three occupants were killed in the crash. Deputy Nelson was a U.S. Army veteran of WWI and had served with the Pima County Sheriff's Department for 14 months.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AZ-174BFEE9- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Nelson gave the Pima County Sheriff's Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Tucson community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Clifford W. Nelson served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Deputy Sheriff Clifford W. Nelson 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 AZ, 95 of 330 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.8% of this state's fallen. That is 2.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Pima County Sheriff's Department, 5 of 11 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 45.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Clifford W. Nelson's cause is highlighted.
How Clifford W. Nelson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Clifford W. Nelson is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
10 officers from Pima County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.
