US Army pauses Apache helicopter training flights after fatal crash
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The US Army has temporarily halted all Apache helicopter training missions after a fatal crash in Texas killed two soldiers earlier this week.
On Friday, Army leaders directed a stand-down of AH-64 Apache training flight operations following the Wednesday incident near Fort Hood.
“Army leaders directed a temporary stand-down of AH64 Apache training flight operations,” the Army said in a statement.
“The stand-down will remain in effect until we have a better understanding of the root cause of the accident.”
The AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crashed in a grassy field near Salado, Texas, about 30 miles from the base, during a maintenance test flight.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey, 34, of Killeen, Texas, and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, 25, of Belton, Texas, were the only two people on board and were killed.
Both were assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
Bell County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Bill Coleman described the scene as severe. “You could tell this was a violent crash,” he said, noting the helicopter did not strike any buildings but sparked a wildfire.
A safety investigation team from the Army Combat Readiness Center in Fort Rucker, Alabama, arrived Thursday to lead the probe.
No cause has been released as the investigation remains in its early stages.
The temporary pause applies only to training flights; the US Army has not indicated any changes to operational or combat missions involving the long-serving attack helicopter.
