Pilot Weldon Smith

Pilot Weldon Smith

United States Department of Justice - Immigration and Naturalization Service - United States Border Patrol, U.S. Government

End of Watch Friday, October 19, 1979

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Weldon Smith

Pilot Weldon Smith was killed in a plane crash while tracking illegal aliens near Hebbronville.

Pilot Smith was working with ground agents from the Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station. They were trailing aliens on the Gallagor Ranch, about 10 miles north of Guerra, Jim Hogg County, Texas. Pilot Smith returned to his station in McAllen to refuel. As he was returning to the initial search area, he started relaying the location of the aliens to the agents when he quit transmitting mid-sentence. The agents saw the smoke and ran toward it. The plane was engulfed in flames, destroyed by the impact and fire. Pilot Smith died on initial impact. A Justice of the Peace from Hebbronville, Texas, held an inquest upon arrival at the scene of the accident and pronounced Pilot Smith dead. Subsequent investigation determined that the aircraft had stalled, and the pilot was unable to recover from the stall.

Pilot Smith was a United States Army veteran who had served with the United States Department of Justice - Immigration and Naturalization Service - United States Border Patrol for almost nine years assigned to the McAllen Sector and previously served with the Texas Department of Public Safety for 9 1/2 years. He is survived by his wife, two sons, four daughters, parents, three brothers, and two sisters. One son became a pilot and the other retired as a Federal Agent.

Pilot Smith was buried in Valley Memorial Gardens in McAllen, Hidalgo County, Texas.

Bio

Age 40
Tour 17 years, 6 months
Badge Not available
Military Veteran

Incident Details

Cause Aircraft accident
Location Texas

aircraft accident, illegal alien

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Most Recent Reflection

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I am Weldon's oldest son with some additional thoughts. Thank you to all who have taken the time to say something here. It is greatly appreciated.

Weldon was the best dad any kid could hope for and I'll have more on that perhaps later. Lots of great stories to tell that reflect on the good man he was.

I was a Border Patrol Sector Building/Hangar Rat as a little guy--I was all over that place with him on a regular basis. Tons of great memories of the Agents around there (Milton Garrison, Dudley Clanahan, Chief Wood, Joe Esparza, Larry Hausman who ran the shooting range and taught me to shoot revolvers, Dale Squint, and many others). We also flew together a lot--not in USBP aircraft--which is where my lifelong passion for aviation began.

Of late, some official Border Patrol/CBP/AMB narratives are incorrectly confusing the Station the Agents he was working with as his. Weldon Smith was a pilot assigned to the McAllen Sector, NOT the RGC Station. McAllen Sector. The McAllen Sector provided air assets to the other South Texas/Valley stations, primarily using Piper Super Cub single-engine airplanes. This was the type he was flying when he crashed.

I received a letter from my Senator when I inquired about the accident many years ago. It noted that while the accident was attributed to pilot error "Pilot Smith was not careless or reckless and was operating within the parameters" of his duties.

The reality is that fixed wing USBP Pilots had one of the most dangerous jobs in aviation. This is what drove the move to helicopters. Of note, my father had recently been rated and qualified on helos in anticipation of their imminent delivery to the McAllen Sector. I believe he was the first McAllen Sector Pilot to do so.

He was a good man gone way too soon.

Just to show what a small world this is... I'm currently an airline Captain and Simulator Check Airman/Instructor. I compared notes with one of my co-workers at the schoolhouse and discovered that 45 years later he vividly remembered Weldon as a very friendly guy. George Mejeur taught my father how to fly at McCreery Aviation (George later soloed me on my 16th birthday while my mom, Jo Ann, tried to not have a panic attack for obvious reasons) and we also spent lots of time over at McAllen Aviation where my friend remembered him from.

Captain Jason Weldon Smith
Son

February 12, 2025