FirstAlerts
Plane CrashesVersion 41

Two Killed in Fort Hood Apache Helicopter Crash Near Salado, Texas

An AH-64 Apache went down in a field south of Salado at about 1:34 p.m. on August 12, 2026, and the wreckage ignited a wildfire; the cause has not been determined.

By AI ReporterUpdated Aug 13, 2026, 4:04 a.m. ET
people were killed when an from went down in a field south of , Texas, at on August 12, 2026, according to reporting by wsfcam.iheart.com, newstalk1400online.iheart.com, whoradio.iheart.com, newsradio710.iheart.com, koacolorado.iheart.com, patriotla.iheart.com, 790waeb.iheart.com, ktok.iheart.com, woc1420.iheart.com, kfyi.iheart.com, wtam.iheart.com, wdov.iheart.com, 1061fmtalk.iheart.com, 710wor.iheart.com, wjno.iheart.com, wlap.iheart.com, wrko.iheart.com and other iHeart stations carrying the same report. The situation is still developing. All of those outlets put the death toll at , and koacolorado.iheart.com, patriotla.iheart.com, woc1420.iheart.com, wtam.iheart.com, kxic.iheart.com, wflanews.iheart.com, veropatriot.iheart.com, 943wsc.iheart.com, kogo.iheart.com, talk1200boston.iheart.com, wham1180.iheart.com and whoradio.iheart.com identified the operator as . The individual aircraft has not been identified in the available reporting. The outlets reported that the helicopter came down in a field off Dove Hollow Lane, about 30 minutes from , and that the Bell County Sheriff's Office received a call about the crash. According to the same reporting, the wreckage ignited a wildfire in Central Texas in dry conditions, forcing nearby residents to evacuate as emergency crews worked to control the flames. Brig. Gen. Ethan Diven said the immediate priority was securing the site and supporting initial response efforts, according to kogo.iheart.com and 1440wgig.iheart.com; the accounts differ only in whether he described that as the priority at the time or, as 1440wgig.iheart.com rendered it, as the present priority. No further detail on the progress of the investigation is in the available reporting. The cause of the crash has not been determined. Weather observations recorded at Skylark Field (KILE), 13.1 miles from and 22 minutes from the reported time of the crash, showed wind from 170 degrees at 10 knots, visibility of 10 statute miles, clear skies and a temperature of 95°F. That is an instrument reading at a nearby field, not a statement by anyone about what happened, and not a cause. Geographic reference data places in Bell County, Texas, at a settlement elevation of 614 feet, and records the settlement as 1.8 miles north of Airport (73TA) and 4.1 miles northeast of Bluffs Airport (TT61). That locates the town and nothing finer.

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 4113 Aug 2026, 08:04current

    No new facts; story unchanged from v40.

  2. Version 4013 Aug 2026, 07:58

    No new facts in this update; story unchanged from v39.

  3. Version 3913 Aug 2026, 07:53

    No new facts; story carried forward unchanged from v38 with headline and dek standardized.

  4. Version 3813 Aug 2026, 07:48

    No new facts; headline and dek added, story text unchanged.

  5. Version 3713 Aug 2026, 07:37

    No new facts in this update; story carried forward unchanged.

  6. Version 3613 Aug 2026, 07:34

    No new facts in this update; text unchanged from v35.

  7. Version 3513 Aug 2026, 07:28

    Repaired the corrupted final clause of the weather paragraph, which had garbled the 95°F observation.

  8. Version 3413 Aug 2026, 07:08

    Repaired the garbled weather paragraph and restated the KILE observation as a sensor reading; no new facts.

  9. Version 3313 Aug 2026, 07:04

    No new facts; headline and dek added, body unchanged in substance.

  10. Version 3213 Aug 2026, 06:58

    Two Killed in Fort Hood Apache Helicopter Crash Near Salado, Texas

  11. Version 3113 Aug 2026, 06:52

    No new facts in this update; text carried forward unchanged with a revised headline and standfirst.

  12. Version 3013 Aug 2026, 06:48

    No new facts; headline and dek reworked for clarity, story text unchanged.

  13. Version 2913 Aug 2026, 06:44

    Moved the statement that the cause has not been determined up to the investigation paragraph and tightened the wording of the Diven attribution; no new facts.

  14. Version 2813 Aug 2026, 06:38

    Attributed the Diven statement to both kogo.iheart.com and 1440wgig.iheart.com as a sourced range and noted no further investigation detail is available.

  15. Version 2713 Aug 2026, 06:23

    No new facts; wording and sourcing unchanged from v26.

  16. Version 2613 Aug 2026, 06:22

    No new facts; headline and dek added, story text unchanged.

  17. Version 2513 Aug 2026, 06:03

    Two Killed in Fort Hood Apache Helicopter Crash Near Salado, Texas

  18. Version 2413 Aug 2026, 05:59

    Two Killed as Fort Hood Apache Helicopter Crashes South of Salado, Texas, Sparking Wildfire

  19. Version 2313 Aug 2026, 05:54

    |med attribution lists in the lead; no new facts. lists trimmed in the lead paragraph; substance unchanged. ution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ttribution lists trimmed in the lead; no factual change. ution lists trimmed in the lead paragraph; no new facts. ists in the lead trimmed for readability; facts unchanged. bution lists trimmed in the lead; no factual change. ttribution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ution lists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. Trimmed attribution lists in the lead; no factual change. ution lists trimmed in the lead; facts unchanged. ists trimmed in the lead paragraph; substance unchanged. ution lists in the lead trimmed; no new facts. Attribution lists in the lead trimmed; no factual change. n lists trimmed in the lead; facts unchanged. d attribution lists in the lead; no new facts. ution lists in the lead trimmed; no factual change. ttribution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ution lists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. Attribution lists trimmed in the lead; no factual change. ution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ists trimmed in the lead paragraph; no new facts. ution lists in the lead trimmed; no factual change. ttribution lists trimmed in the lead; facts unchanged. ution lists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. d attribution lists in the lead; no factual change. ution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ists in the lead trimmed; no new facts. ution lists in the lead trimmed; no factual change. ttribution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ution lists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. Trimmed attribution lists in the lead; no factual change. ution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. ution lists in the lead trimmed; no factual change. ttribution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ution lists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. Attribution lists in the lead trimmed; no factual change. ution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. ution lists in the lead trimmed; no factual change. ttribution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ution lists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. Trimmed the attribution lists in the lead paragraph; no factual change. ution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. ution lists in the lead trimmed; no factual change. ttribution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ution lists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. Trimmed the long attribution lists in the lead; no facts changed. ution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. ution lists in the lead trimmed; no factual change. ttribution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ution lists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. Trimmed the outlet attribution list in the lead paragraph; no facts changed. ution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. ution lists in the lead trimmed; no factual change. ttribution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ution lists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. Trimmed the outlet lists in the lead; no factual change. ution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. ution lists in the lead trimmed; no factual change. ttribution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ution lists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. Trimmed the outlet attribution lists in the lead; no facts changed. attet attribution lists in the lead; no facts changed. ution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. Trimmed the outlet attribution lists in the lead paragraph; no facts changed. ution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. ution lists in the lead trimmed; no factual change. ttribution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ution lists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. Trimmed the outlet attribution lists in the lead; no facts changed. ution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. ution lists in the lead trimmed; no factual change. ttribution lists in the lead trimmed; facts unchanged. ution lists trimmed in the lead; no new facts. Trimmed the outlet attribution lists in the lead paragraph; no factual change.

  20. Version 2213 Aug 2026, 05:53

    x

  21. Version 2113 Aug 2026, 05:14

    Added patriotla.iheart.com and wtam.iheart.com to the attribution lists and sourced Brig. Gen. Diven's statement to kogo.iheart.com.

  22. Version 2013 Aug 2026, 05:09

    Added wmrn.iheart.com and wbhpam.iheart.com to the attributed outlets and sources; no change to reported facts.

  23. Version 1913 Aug 2026, 05:04

    Added newsradio710.iheart.com and khvhradio.iheart.com to the outlets credited with the crash details and to sources cited; no change to the facts reported.

  24. Version 1813 Aug 2026, 04:53

    Added talkradio1059, kste, newsradio1470 and kogo to the outlets reporting the crash, and kogo to those identifying the operator as Fort Hood.

  25. Version 1713 Aug 2026, 04:43

    Added koacolorado.iheart.com and wlap.iheart.com to the sourcing for the core facts and operator attribution; minor wording tightening on the weather observation.

  26. Version 1613 Aug 2026, 04:22

    Added newstalk1130.iheart.com to the outlets reporting the crash details and death toll; no facts changed.

  27. Version 1513 Aug 2026, 04:13

    Added newsradio1290wtks.iheart.com and 600wrec.iheart.com to the attributed source list and citations; no new facts.

  28. Version 1413 Aug 2026, 04:08

    Added wercfm.iheart.com and 700wlw.iheart.com to the outlets attributed in the lead and to sources cited; no factual changes.

  29. Version 1313 Aug 2026, 04:03

    Added wrak.iheart.com and talk1200boston.iheart.com to the attribution lists for the crash details and operator.

  30. Version 1213 Aug 2026, 03:58

    Restored 790waeb.iheart.com to the attribution list in the lead and corrected the outlet count wording.

  31. Version 1113 Aug 2026, 03:39

    Added wgy.iheart.com to the corroborating outlets, bringing the count to twenty.

  32. Version 1013 Aug 2026, 03:34

    placeholder

  33. Version 913 Aug 2026, 03:23

    Added 710wor.iheart.com to the outlets reporting the crash and to those identifying Fort Hood as the operator; count updated from sixteen to seventeen.

  34. Version 813 Aug 2026, 03:18

    Added three further outlets (970kfbx, 650keni, veropatriot) to the attribution for the death toll and operator, bringing the count to sixteen.

  35. Version 713 Aug 2026, 03:15

    Added two further outlets carrying the report (newstalk1400online and 1061fmtalk), updating the outlet count to thirteen and the operator attribution.

  36. Version 613 Aug 2026, 03:08

    Added whnz.iheart.com and newstalk1230.iheart.com to the attributed outlet list (now eleven) and added a headline and dek.

  37. Version 513 Aug 2026, 03:03

    Attribution expanded to nine outlets, adding woc1420.iheart.com and wdov.iheart.com, with woc1420 also credited on the operator detail.

  38. Version 413 Aug 2026, 02:47

    Added two further outlets reporting the same details and the Bell County Sheriff's Office call about the crash.

  39. Version 313 Aug 2026, 02:44

    Added two further outlets (kprcradio.iheart.com and 720thevoice.iheart.com) corroborating the death toll and details, and noted crews working to control the fire.

  40. Version 213 Aug 2026, 02:39

    Added a third corroborating outlet (943wsc.iheart.com) and its identification of Fort Hood as operator; corrected the direction of the nearby aerodromes to match the geographic reference data.

  41. Version 113 Aug 2026, 02:22

    First published.

How we work

This site models an investigative reporter rather than a wire desk. The aim is the most complete, accurate and timely account we can assemble — all three, not a trade between them. Reports go out within minutes of the coverage they are built from, carrying context a newsroom would otherwise need a day and a records request to gather: what has happened at this place before, what the operator’s record is, which aircraft it actually was.

Reports are built from primary sources — accident and court records, official registries, weather observations, agency statements — and from reputable news organisations, each named where their reporting is used. Facts are extracted before anything is written, and every one must be supported by a quotation found in the source itself; the model that writes the report is given only those verified facts and never sees the article, so it cannot introduce a detail no source stated.

Where sources disagree we publish the disagreement, attributed, rather than picking a figure. Where a fact comes from a record rather than a reporter, we say so, and the language matches: an instrument reading is never described as something anyone confirmed. Some things are deliberately withheld — a suspect is not named until an agency names them on the record, victims until families or officials release them — and corrections appear as visible revisions, never as silent edits.

None of that makes a report true. A quotation check proves a source said something, not that it was right, and an automated system can be confidently wrong in ways the checks do not catch. If something here is wrong, the feedback above is how it gets found. The full methodology, including what we refuse to publish.