U.S. Army Suspends Apache Training Flights After Texas Crash
A training crash near Fort Hood killed two soldiers, prompting the Army to pause all Apache helicopter training pending an investigation.
The U.S. Army has ordered a temporary stand-down of all AH-64 Apache training flights following a crash near Fort Hood, Texas, that killed two service members. Investigators from the Army Combat Readiness Center in Fort Rucker, Alabama, arrived at the site on Thursday and will lead the probe to determine the cause of the accident.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre Huey, 34, and Warrant Officer Seth Olmstead, 25, both members of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, were killed. Lt. Gen. Kevin Admiral, commanding general at Fort Hood, expressed condolences to the families and noted the loss is felt throughout the Army community.
The Apache, a two-crew attack helicopter capable of carrying Hellfire missiles, rockets and a 30 mm gun, has been in service since 1984 and is slated to remain operational until 2050. The stand-down will remain in effect until investigators have a clearer understanding of the accident’s root cause.