Two crew killed as US Army AH-64E Apache crashes near Fort Hood
Two US Army crew members were killed when an AH-64E Apache attack helicopter crashed in a field near Salado, Texas, on August 12, 2026. The accident also started a grass fire that burned more than 150 acres and forced evacuations south of Fort Hood.
The Bell County Sheriff’s Office said it began receiving 911 calls at approximately 13:34 local time reporting a helicopter down about half a mile west of the 16400 block of Kuykendall Road, south of Salado. Cliff Coleman, public information officer for the sheriff’s office, told reporters at the scene that deputies found both the wreckage and a fire already burning out of control. The two people on board were pronounced dead at 14:30.
Coleman said the aircraft came down in an open field, struck no homes or other structures, and caused no injuries on the ground. “You could tell it was a violent crash,” he said.
US Army confirms AH-64E assigned to Fort Hood
Fort Hood said in a statement that the aircraft was an AH-64E Apache assigned to the installation, which hosts the US Army’s 1st Cavalry Division.
The names of the two crew members were withheld pending notification of next of kin, and the remains were taken to Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood. The US Army has not disclosed the purpose of the flight or offered any indication of a cause.
Latest in a run of US military aviation losses
The AH-64E is the current production standard of the Boeing AH-64 Apache, flown by the US Army and more than 17 other operators. It carries a crew of two, with the pilot in the rear cockpit and the co-pilot/gunner in front.
The crash follows a difficult year for US military aviation. All eight people aboard a US Air Force B-52H were killed when the bomber went down at Edwards Air Force Base on June 15, 2026, and a US Marine Corps F-35B was destroyed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on July 31, 2026, after its pilot ejected at low altitude. The post Two crew killed as US Army AH-64E Apache crashes near Fort Hood appeared first on AeroTime.
Two US Army crew members were killed when an AH-64E Apache attack helicopter crashed in a field near…
The post Two crew killed as US Army AH-64E Apache crashes near Fort Hood appeared first on AeroTime.
