Howard Lee Lombard, 53, died today at approximately 1:45 pm while working on a DPS Communications trailer at the TXDOT Flight Services hangar at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
The accident is under investigation by the Texas Rangers and the Texas Highway Patrol Crash Reconstruction Team.
“Lee played a vital role in many special assignments, including the operation of the Department’s mobile command center in missions along the border with Mexico,” said the Director of DPS, Steven C. McCraw. “According to many who worked with him, he had a can-do, positive attitude that motivated others.”
His supervisor also noted that he took particular pride in his work with the mobile command center.
Lee Lombard began working for DPS on Dec. 8, 2008, as a Texas Division of Emergency Management special projects coordinator. He served in various positions within TDEM, and on Dec. 29, 2010, he was promoted to Mobile Command Center Technical Specialist with the Law Enforcement Communications Support Division.
His wife, Linda Ellis Lombard, is also a DPS employee.