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Plane CrashesVersion 9

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

The U.S. Army has temporarily grounded Apache flights and opened a safety investigation; the cause has not been determined.

By AI ReporterUpdated Aug 14, 2026, 6:20 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.

pilots were killed when an Apache helicopter crashed near , on Aug. 12, 2026, according to reporting by military.com, fox4news.com, fox7austin.com, foxnews.com, wsyr.iheart.com, wjno.iheart.com and kfyi.iheart.com. The aircraft was described as an by military.com, kfyi.iheart.com, woodradio.iheart.com, wsyr.iheart.com, knst.iheart.com, wjno.iheart.com and 790waeb.iheart.com, as an by fox4news.com and fox7austin.com, and as an by foxnews.com. The crash happened at according to fox4news.com and fox7austin.com, and according to military.com. The investigation is open and reporting is still developing. Kfyi.iheart.com, woodradio.iheart.com, wsyr.iheart.com, knst.iheart.com, wjno.iheart.com and 790waeb.iheart.com reported that the temporarily grounded all Apache helicopter flights as a precautionary measure after the crash. The same outlets reported that recent Army data indicates Apaches have experienced a higher number of mishaps than other helicopters in the Army's inventory; that record says nothing about the cause of this crash. Military.com reported crew members on board and deaths; fox4news.com, fox7austin.com, foxnews.com, wsyr.iheart.com, wjno.iheart.com and kfyi.iheart.com also reported fatalities. The pilots were identified as Chief Warrant Officer Deontre T. Huey, 34, of Killeen, Texas, and a warrant officer aged 25 from Belton, Texas, whose surname is given as Olmstead by some reports and Omstead by another — both named Seth L. — and reported as assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. The helicopter was based at Fort Hood and crashed roughly 30 miles south-east of the base, and was conducting a maintenance test flight when the mishap occurred, according to the outlets; foxnews.com described the crash as occurring during a training exercise roughly 30 minutes from Fort Hood. The operator was the , according to woodradio.iheart.com, fox7austin.com, foxnews.com, wsyr.iheart.com, knst.iheart.com, wjno.iheart.com, 790waeb.iheart.com and kfyi.iheart.com. The phase of flight is unknown, per wjno.iheart.com. The crash sparked a grass fire on FM 2843 near the 100 block of Dove Hollow Lane, and the resulting fire burned some 155 acres in Bell County, contained Thursday by 5 p.m. , the outlets reported. The Bell County Sheriff's Office said the crash damaged no buildings or structures. Its spokesperson, Cliff Coleman, described it as "a violent crash." Texas Gov. Greg Abbott offered condolences in a post on X. The cause has not been determined. According to fox4news.com and foxnews.com, ; fox7austin.com reported that the Combat Readiness Center team will lead the safety investigation, and kfyi.iheart.com, woodradio.iheart.com, wsyr.iheart.com, knst.iheart.com, wjno.iheart.com and 790waeb.iheart.com reported the Army launched a safety investigation led by the Combat Readiness Center to determine the cause. Military.com reported that . The aircraft involved has not been identified; registry records list one aircraft under the as operator, which describes registry holdings and is not an identification of the helicopter in this crash. Weather observations recorded at Killeen Regional Airport / Robert Gray Army Airfield (KGRK), 19. miles away and 15 minutes from the reported time, showed wind from 170 degrees at 13 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies and a temperature of 98°F; the observation is an instrument reading and is not stated to have any connection to the crash.

Was this report accurate and useful?

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 914 Aug 2026, 22:20current

    Added corroborating attribution from knst.iheart.com and wjno.iheart.com throughout, and noted the phase of flight is unknown per wjno.iheart.com.

  2. Version 814 Aug 2026, 22:14

    Added headline and dek, and folded in corroborating attribution from wsyr.iheart.com and 790waeb.iheart.com for the aircraft type, fatalities, operator, grounding and safety investigation.

  3. Version 714 Aug 2026, 22:10

    Corrected the U.S. Army operator registry holdings from two aircraft to one, and added a headline and standfirst.

  4. Version 614 Aug 2026, 21:59

    Added headline and dek; led with the best-supported "AH-64 Apache" type description while keeping the competing descriptions, added woodradio.iheart.com attributions and foxnews.com's training-exercise wording.

  5. Version 514 Aug 2026, 21:54

    Added kfyi.iheart.com reporting that the Army temporarily grounded all Apache flights and its note on Army mishap data, added the sheriff's office statement that no structures were damaged, and corrected the operator registry holdings from three aircraft to two.

  6. Version 414 Aug 2026, 19:24

    Replaced the weather reading with the KGRK observation (wind 170° at 13 kt, 98°F) and added foxnews.com attribution for the aircraft type, fatality count, operator and investigation team.

  7. Version 314 Aug 2026, 18:54

    Added fox4news.com corroboration for the AH-64E designation, the 1:40 p.m. time, the Combat Readiness Center team's Aug. 13 arrival and the pilots' home towns, and attributed the U.S. Army as operator per fox7austin.com.

  8. Version 214 Aug 2026, 18:24

    Added military.com reporting: aircraft-type, time and investigation-status conflicts now shown as sourced ranges; added crew unit, Fort Hood basing and 30-mile distance, 155-acre fire containment, sheriff's quote and governor's statement; corrected registry fleet count to three and the aerodrome bearings.

  9. Version 114 Aug 2026, 17:05

    First published.

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