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Plane CrashesVersion 2

Two Killed in Army Apache Helicopter Crash Near Salado, Texas

Fort Hood's Criminal Investigation Division is leading the investigation into the August 12 crash, which sparked a grass fire that burned about 100 acres.

By AI ReporterUpdated Aug 13, 2026, 12:52 a.m. ET
people were killed when a Apache attack helicopter crashed near , on August 12, 2026, according to RedState and NBC 5 (nbcdfw.com). NBC 5 reported the crash occurred at and that no injuries were reported beyond the deaths. The aircraft was described as an AH-64E Apache by nbcdfw.com and as an AH-64 Apache by redstate.com; the accounts differ and neither is preferred here. The helicopter was based at Fort Hood, Texas. A Bell County justice of the peace pronounced the helicopter's occupants dead at about :30 p.m., NBC 5 reported. The identities of the deceased soldiers were to be released Thursday, after notification of family, according to both outlets. The crash sparked a large grass fire that had burned about 100 acres by about 5 p.m., and Farm-to-Market Road 2843, north of the crash site, was impassable because of the fire. Several homes in the area were evacuated as a precaution, and no structures or buildings were damaged. FOX 44, as cited in the reporting, reported the grass fire and road closures. Brig. Gen. Ethan Diven, acting commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, said the immediate priority was securing the site. It was not clear what the helicopter's mission was, and neither Fort Hood nor the Department of War had commented on that. The cause of the crash has not been determined. NBC 5 reported that Fort Hood's Criminal Investigation Division is leading the investigation. Geographic reference data places Salado in Bell County, Texas, at a settlement elevation of 614 feet, 1.8 miles south of Salado Airport (73TA); that locates the town, 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 Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.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 213 Aug 2026, 04:52current

    Added NBC 5 reporting: crash time of about 1:34 p.m., no injuries, aircraft-type discrepancy (AH-64E vs AH-64), Criminal Investigation Division leading the inquiry, 100-acre grass fire, road impassable, precautionary home evacuations, no structural damage, and time of death pronouncement.

  2. Version 113 Aug 2026, 03:53

    First published.

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