Fort Hood Apache helicopter crash kills two soldiers in Texas

Two U.S. Army soldiers were killed on Wednesday when an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter based at Fort Hood crashed into a field near Salado, Texas, during a routine training flight, igniting a grass fire that forced nearby evacuations.

Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the families, friends, and fellow Troopers of those involved during this incredibly difficult time.

Brig. Gen. Ethan Diven, acting commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division, confirmed the deaths in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon. Fort Hood said the aircraft was one of its Apaches and that both crew members were on board when it went down in a field. The soldiers' names were withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin could be notified, in keeping with standard military practice.

What happened near Salado

The Bell County Sheriff's Office received 911 calls about a helicopter down at about 1:34 p.m. local time, spokesman Cliff Coleman said. The aircraft came down in an open field off Dove Hollow Lane, roughly a half-mile west of Interstate 35 and south of Salado. Both people aboard were pronounced dead at the scene by the Bell County justice of the peace at about 2:30 p.m.

We know from the Fort Hood Criminal Investigation Division, who is leading this investigation, that this was an Apache helicopter and two souls were on board.

Coleman called it a violent crash and said the helicopter struck no homes or other structures on the way down. The impact ignited a grass fire that spread quickly through dry vegetation, and authorities evacuated several homes in the area as the flames grew and crews from multiple agencies raced to the scene southwest of the town.

The Texas A&M Forest Service reported the fire had burned about 155 acres by Wednesday afternoon. Coleman said it was 85 percent contained as of 7 p.m., and KWTX reported it reached 95 percent containment at last check. A tanker aircraft dropped fire retardant on a field southwest of Salado to help hold the perimeter.

The aircraft and its crew

The AH-64 Apache is a two-seat attack helicopter, with a pilot in the rear cockpit and a co-pilot who serves as gunner in the front. The Army describes it as a twin-engine, four-bladed platform designed as a highly stable aerial weapons-delivery vehicle and built for armed reconnaissance and close combat. Aviation outlets identified the aircraft as the AH-64E variant, the newest in the fleet.

The two soldiers were taken to Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, according to the Army, which said their identities would be released 24 hours after their families are notified. The helicopter was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division at the installation, which sits less than 20 miles from where it came down, roughly a 30-minute drive.

CBS News reported that the crew was on a training mission out of Fort Hood when the crash occurred.

A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press the aircraft had been on a routine training flight. The Army has not said which specific unit the crew belonged to, nor has it described the flight path, the weather at the time, or the maintenance status of the helicopter.

The investigation ahead

The Fort Hood Criminal Investigation Division is leading the inquiry into the cause of the crash, the Army said. Diven said securing the site and supporting the initial response were the command's immediate priorities.

Investigations of military aviation accidents typically examine flight data, maintenance records, weather and the wreckage itself. The Army has released no early findings from this crash and did not say when the investigation would conclude. Fort Hood said additional information would be released as it became available.

Fort Hood personnel remained at the scene through the evening, working alongside the Salado Fire Department, Bell County Emergency Service District 1 and local law enforcement, the installation said. Coleman said the sheriff's office coordinated the initial response with the military, and that the Criminal Investigation Division had confirmed the aircraft was an Apache carrying two people.

The crash also closed roads in the area, the sheriff's office said.

A response from the state

Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirmed the deaths of the two service members in a post on X and offered condolences, according to Reuters and other outlets. Neither the governor's office nor the Army provided further detail on the crew beyond the pending notification of their families and their transfer to the medical center at Fort Hood.

Where the crash happened

Salado is a small community in Bell County, in Central Texas, about 50 miles north of Austin and less than 20 miles from Fort Hood. The helicopter went down in a rural stretch off Dove Hollow Lane and FM 2843, near the 16500 block of Kuykendall Branch Road, about a half-mile west of Interstate 35.

Fort Hood, one of the largest U.S. Army installations, is the home of the 1st Cavalry Division and a major center for Army aviation. The AH-64 has been a mainstay of the service's helicopter fleet for decades and can carry Hellfire missiles and rockets, along with a 30mm chain gun.

No buildings or structures were damaged in the crash, the Bell County Sheriff's Office confirmed.

What remains unknown

The Army has released neither the soldiers' names nor their ranks, and it has not said how long the crew had been flying before the crash. Investigators have not named a cause, and officials have not indicated when their findings will be complete.

The account of a routine training flight comes from a single official who was not authorized to speak publicly, and the Army has not confirmed the description in its own statements. Fort Hood characterized the crash as an ongoing and developing situation.

The soldiers were the only people aboard the two-seat aircraft, and no injuries on the ground were reported. Crews continued to work the grass fire into the evening, with the Forest Service reporting it largely contained by nightfall. Social media posts and photographs from the scene showed burned grass surrounding the wreckage.

The Army said it would release the names of the two soldiers once their families had been notified, and that further details about the crash would follow. As of Wednesday evening, no additional information had been made public, and the cause of the crash remained under investigation.