Roll of Honor
Incident
Lieutenant Turner was killed when his helicopter crashed during a training exercise in Charleston. The helicopter crashed into a residential hillside between two houses. A retired West Virginia state trooper was also killed in the accident. The accident was later determined to be a result of the helicopter manufacturer's inadequate maintenance service bulletin inspection interval, which failed to provide timely detection of pre-existing fatigue cracks in the tail boom. Lieutenant Turner had served with the agency for 17 years.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WV-B16A8C0F- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Lieutenant Turner gave the West Virginia State Police 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of West Virginia. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Turner.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Lieutenant Charles Matthew Turner 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%.
At West Virginia State Police, 20 of 42 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 47.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles Matthew Turner's cause is highlighted.
How Charles Matthew Turner Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Matthew Turner is highlighted in Apr.
Others Who Wore This Badge
41 officers from West Virginia State Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
