Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Raymond Willis and Sergeant Vernon Corbell were killed in an airplane accident while searching for a downed plane near Malibu.
The plane Sergeant Corbell was piloting experienced engine trouble, and he attempted to land at an emergency landing strip in Puerco Canyon. During the landing, the plane struck a ridge and burst into flames, crashing only 500 feet from the landing strip.
Sergeant Willis was a United States Navy World War II veteran and had served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for nine years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-D457CD07- 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.
Sergeant Willis gave the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Los Angeles community. Thank you 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
Raymond C. Willis served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Sergeant Raymond C. Willis 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 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept., 50 of 120 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. Raymond C. Willis's cause is highlighted.
How Raymond C. Willis Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Raymond C. Willis is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
119 officers from Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
