He had a distinct personality. He was a guy who knew what "right" looked like, just a very-strong-minded individual, the type that made decisions quickly and surely. He loved flying and he had found a good fit with Mercy Air. He liked the idea of making a difference in the life of an individual, and he liked the medical people where he worked.<br />
<br />
Paul G. Latour, 46, of Apple Valley, was killed in the line of duty on December 10, 2006. The air ambulance he was piloting crashed in fog in a hilly area and caught fire near the summit in the Cajon Pass, California. The Mercy Air helicopter, with a team of three, had left the Loma Linda University Medical Center after dropping off a fall victim and was en route back to its home base. There were no survivors.<br />
<br />
Pilot Latour had been employed for 18 months by Mercy Air, a subsidiary of corporate Air Methods, located in Englewood, Colorado. He had over 18 years of flying experience, retiring from the Army with the rank of chief warrant officer. David Justice, an Army aviation safety officer at Fort Irwin where Latour spent many years, stated "he was especially experienced in the terrain and atmospheric features of the high desert." "He was a flight instructor and had spent years perfecting his flying skills; he was a solid aviator," said Justice.<br />
<br />
Honored 2008 |