FirstAlerts
Plane CrashesVersion 3

Two Soldiers Killed in Army Apache Helicopter Crash Near Salado, Texas

Fort Hood said the flight was a maintenance test flight; the Army Criminal Investigation Division is working to establish the cause.

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 13, 2026, 2:30 a.m. ETUpdated Aug 14, 2026, 12:59 p.m. ET
Developing

This is a developing story. Details reported early are provisional and are frequently revised. Where sources disagree, both readings are given.

people were killed when a U.S. Army crashed in an open field near , Texas, according to us105fm.com, firstalert7.com, fox35orlando.com and kwtx.com. people were aboard, us105fm.com, firstalert7.com and kwtx.com reported. The crash occurred on August 12, 2026, according to firstalert7.com and kwtx.com, while fox35orlando.com dated it August 12, 2025. The reported time also varies: per firstalert7.com and kwtx.com, per fox35orlando.com, and "" per us105fm.com. The outlets identified those killed as Chief Warrant Officer Deontre T. Huey, 34, of Killeen, and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, 25, of Belton. The service members were transported to Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center in . confirmed the helicopter was based there and that the flight was a "maintenance test flight," firstalert7.com and kwtx.com reported. Cliff Coleman of the Bell County Sheriff's Office described the crash as "violent." The helicopter impacted an open field and did not hit any nearby buildings, the outlets reported, but the crash sparked a grassfire on FM 2843 near the 100 block of Dove Hollow Lane. The fire grew to 155 acres and was reported 100% contained Thursday, August 13. Five homes near the fire were threatened and evacuated, and all five were saved. Farm to Market Road 2843 was shut down for hours near the crash site, and localized evacuations were initiated. The Fire Department and Bell County Emergency Service District 1 responded. The cause has not been determined. The Army Criminal Investigation Division has been deployed to the scene to assess the wreckage, determine the flight path and establish the cause of the crash, according to us105fm.com. No finding has been announced. Weather observations recorded at KILE (Skylark Field), 13.1 miles away and 26 minutes from the reported time of the crash, show wind from 170 degrees at 10 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies and a temperature of 95°F. Those are instrument readings and are not stated to have any bearing on the crash. Geographic reference data places in Bell County, Texas, at a settlement elevation of 614 feet, 1.8 miles N of Airport (73TA) and 4.1 miles NE of Bluffs Airport (TT61); that locates the town only, not the accident site.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Terrain elevation
614 ft
Nearest aerodrome
1.8 miles N of Salado Airport (73TA)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 314 Aug 2026, 16:59current

    Added kwtx.com attribution, led with the best-supported August 12, 2026 date and 1:30 p.m. time while retaining the conflicting accounts, and added nearby-field weather observations.

  2. Version 214 Aug 2026, 16:54

    Added victims' identifications, Fort Hood's confirmation that it was a maintenance test flight, hospital transport, 155-acre grassfire contained August 13, five homes evacuated and saved, sheriff's office description, and the conflicting reported dates and times; corrected aerodrome bearings to match reference data.

  3. Version 113 Aug 2026, 05:28

    First published.

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