An AH-64E Apache attack helicopter operated by the US Army crashed on August 12, 2026, in a field near Salado, Bell County, central Texas, around 1:34-1:35 p.m. local time. The helicopter was on a routine training flight based out of Fort Hood military installation when the crash occurred [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Both crew members aboard the helicopter were killed. The soldiers were identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey, 34, from Killeen, Texas, and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, 25, from Belton, Texas [6]. Local and military officials confirmed their deaths. Bell County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Cliff Coleman described the accident as "a violent crash" [1].
The crash triggered a large grass wildfire fueled by dry conditions and strong winds. The fire burned approximately 100 acres and forced evacuations of nearby homes. Although no houses or structures were directly hit by the helicopter, authorities closed nearby roads including Farm to Market Road 2843 to support emergency response efforts [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Fort Hood, a major US Army training base that covers roughly 215,000 to over 218,000 acres, is the home base of the helicopter [1, 2]. Brigadier General Ethan Diven, Acting Commanding General of Fort Hood, said, "Our immediate priority is securing the site and supporting the initial response efforts. Our thoughts are with the crew and their families as we await further information" [1].
Texas Governor Greg Abbott expressed condolences for the two soldiers via social media, stating in Chinese that "Today, an Apache helicopter crashed in Bell County during a mission at Fort Hood, causing two soldiers to die" [7].
The Fort Hood Criminal Investigation Division is leading the investigation into the cause of the crash. A safety investigation team arrived at Fort Hood on August 13 to begin an official inquiry [1, 8, 3, 4, 5, 6].
The accident is part of a series of recent military aircraft incidents, with reports noting an increase in such events in 2024 [2]. Firefighters initially struggled to contain the wildfire due to strong winds but continued efforts to extinguish it [3, 4, 5].
