Ptlm. Lowell D. Howard 1947-1984 |
Lowell Howard was born
in Clovis, New Mexico on February 4, 1947, and attended high school in
Fort Sumner. He served with the De Baca County Sheriff’s Department
and the Fort Sumner Police Department, and in 1977 received his pilot’s
license from the Great Southwest Aviation School. Lowell joined the New
Mexico State Police on October 16, 1978, and was stationed in Santa
Fe. One year later, he transferred into the Aircraft Division of the
State Police Department.
On August 6, 1984, at 10:47 a.m., Lowell was piloting a department aircraft and conducting a speed enforcement project near Farmington with fellow state police officer and academy classmate David Smith along as an observer. The officers had been on an hour-long traffic enforcement assignment on US 550 near the eastern city limits of Farmington. They had concluded their stop watch surveillance |
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airport west of Farmington. The
aircraft, a single engine Cessna R172E, turned to the east, at a low
altitude, presumably to observe traffic or for another enforcement
observation when it struck a high power line and plunged into the four lane
highway below, flipping onto its top and bursting into flames.
Both officers were killed instantly.
Lowell’s funeral was held in Santa Fe and he was buried in the
Fort Sumner Cemetery. He was survived by his wife and two sons.
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