Roll of Honor
Incident
Forest Ranger Raymond Murray was killed in an airplane crash while taking off from the Pleasant Valley Airfield near Hammondsport, New York. He was conducting an aerial patrol to detect forest fires and violators of state fire laws. Ranger Murray's flight was the inaugural flight launching a new forest fire detection system from the air by the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation. The plane crashed into a house on the Bath-Hammandsport Road approximately a quarter mile past the end of the runway. It is believed the crash was caused by a strong downdraft. Another forest ranger and the pilot suffered severe injuries in the crash. Ranger Murray was a veteran of WWII. He had served with the New York State Forest Rangers for 20 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-2B09831E- 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.
Forest Ranger Murray gave the New York State Forest Rangers 20 years.
Thank you for your service to the Albany 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
Raymond L. Murray served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Forest Ranger Raymond L. Murray 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 NY, 645 of 2,147 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Raymond L. Murray's cause is highlighted.
How Raymond L. Murray Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Raymond L. Murray is highlighted in Oct.