In loving memory of Pilot/Firefighter

Los Angeles Fire Department

End of Watch: 8/9/2015

Los Angeles Fire Department Pilot/Firefighter Steven Robinson passed away August 9, 2015 at the age of 49. Robinson died as a result of complications from multiple broken bones and head injuries suffered in the 1998 crash of a med-evac helicopter he was piloting.

On March 23, 1998, Robinson and his air crew were rushing a critically injured 12-year-old car crash victim to a hospital. During the flight, the tail rotor of the single-engine Bell 205 disintegrated (it was later found a half mile away from the wreckage of the fuselage). Pilot Robinson steered the doomed helicopter away from the residential area, tried to land in an intersection, clipped trees, and crashed in Griffith Park, 50 yards from homes. Four people died in the crash: the young patient and L.A. City firefighters Michael A. Butler, Eric F. Reiner, and Michael D. McComb.

Pilot Robinson’s injuries continued to impact him throughout his career. In 2009 he assumed a role as an LAFD sworn dispatcher, proudly wearing his pilot wings on the dispatch floor. On August 9, 2015, he succumbed to his long term injuries.

Because Brother Robinson’s death was the result of injuries suffered in the performance of his duty, the Los Angeles Fire Department has declared that he died in the line of duty.

Robinson had served the City of Los Angeles for 29 years from the skies and on the ground.

He is survived by sons 14 and 17 years old.