Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Patrick Coyle was killed, and another deputy was injured in a helicopter crash in the Sycamore Canyon area at 7:44 pm. The two deputies were looking for possible trespassers when the Hughes 500 helicopter suddenly lost power and fell from the sky. The tail was sheared off the helicopter on impact, but the passenger compartment remained largely intact. Deputy Coyle died of his injuries at Sharp Memorial hospital, less than two hours after the crash. The other deputy survived his injuries. In 1996, Deputy Coyle was presented with a Life Saving Award. Deputy Coyle had served with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department for over nine years and previously served with the Solano County Sheriff's Office for over 13 years. He is survived by his wife and two small children. The Deputy Pat Coyle Memorial Helipad at the San Diego County Sheriff's Department is named in his honor.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two small children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-5DC7E74D- 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
22 years. You could have gone home.
Deputy Sheriff Coyle gave the San Diego County Sheriff's Department 22 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the San Diego community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Coyle.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Patrick Steven Coyle 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 CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At San Diego County Sheriff's Department, 3 of 11 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Patrick Steven Coyle's cause is highlighted.
How Patrick Steven Coyle Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Patrick Steven Coyle is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
10 officers from San Diego County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.
