Roll of Honor
Basil Edward Wright
Incident
State Fire Marshal Basil Wright was killed in an airplane crash while on final approach to the Martinsburg Municipal Airport.
He and the commissioner of the West Virginia State Racing Commission were traveling to Charles Town to testify at a Racing Commission hearing involving several investigations. Fire Marshal Wright had been assisting the Racing Commission with the investigations.
Fire Marshal Wright was piloting the plane when it experienced an engine failure approximately one-half mile from the runway. The plane went into a spin and crashed, killing Fire Marshal Wright and the commissioner.
Fire Marshal Wright had been appointed as the State Fire Marshal two years earlier and had previously served with the West Virginia State Police for 24 years, having retired as the second-in-command. He had previously served with the McDowell County Sheriff's Office and Welch Police Department.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two daughters.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-WV-6B1C4F7D- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
26 years. You could have gone home.
State Fire Marshal Wright gave the West Virginia Office of the State Fire Marshal 26 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Charleston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, State Fire Marshal Wright.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
State Fire Marshal Basil Edward Wright 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 WV, 54 of 232 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.3% of this state's fallen. That is 7.7 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Basil Edward Wright's cause is highlighted.
How Basil Edward Wright Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Basil Edward Wright is highlighted in Aug.