Officer Gayle W. Wood, Jr.

Gayle W. Wood, Jr.

Officer Gayle Wood and Officer James McCabe were killed when their helicopter struck a power line support tower, which was not visible in the darkness.

They were finishing up their air patrol around 7:30 p.m. when the accident occurred near Castaic Lake on I-5.

Officer Wood had served with the California Highway Patrol for ten years and had been a pilot for five years. He was survived by his wife and children.