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Plane CrashesVersion 2

Two Killed in Army Apache Helicopter Crash in Central Texas

An AH-64 Apache on what a military official described as a routine training flight went down on August 12, 2026, sparking a wildfire that forced several homes to be evacuated.

By AI ReporterUpdated Aug 13, 2026, 4:18 a.m. ET
people aboard an helicopter were killed when the aircraft crashed in Central Texas on August 12, 2026, according to reporting by the Boston Herald, Newsday and the Butler Eagle. All three outlets reported people were on board and both died. The situation is still developing. Accounts of the location differ. Newsday and the Butler Eagle placed the crash near , while the Boston Herald placed it at . The operator was identified as the by all three outlets, with the Boston Herald referring to the . A military official said the Apache was on a routine training flight when it went down, according to the three outlets; Newsday attributed that account to a military official speaking to the Associated Press. The crash sparked a grass fire or wildfire that forced several homes to be evacuated, a sheriff's official said, and a tanker aircraft dumped fire retardant on a field southwest of Salado, the outlets reported. Photographs from the scene showed firefighters walking around a charred field with dark smoke. Bell County Sheriff's office spokesman Cliff Coleman said the helicopter did not hit any homes or other structures. The cause has not been determined. Coleman said 's criminal investigation division was leading the crash investigation, according to all three outlets. Brig. Gen. Ethan Diven, the acting commanding general, said the immediate priority was securing the site.

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Revision history

  1. Version 213 Aug 2026, 08:18current

    Added Butler Eagle as a third source, updated the location conflict to note two outlets place the crash near Salado against the Boston Herald's Fort Hood, and attributed the training-flight account to the Associated Press via Newsday.

  2. Version 113 Aug 2026, 05:48

    First published.

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