Two U.S. Army soldiers died on Wednesday when an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter assigned to Fort Hood crashed into a field near Salado, Texas. The Bell County Sheriff's Office said officials responded after receiving 911 calls around 1:30 p.m. The Army subsequently identified the pilots as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey, 34, of Killeen, Texas, and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, 25, of Belton, Texas, both assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
Two Army pilots killed in AH-64 Apache crash near Salado, Texas
Two U.S. Army soldiers died on Wednesday when an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter assigned to Fort Hood crashed into a field near Salado, Texas. The Bell County Sheriff's Office said officials responded after receiving 911 calls around 1:30 p.m. The Army subsequently identified the pilots as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey, 34, of Killeen, Texas, and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, 25, of Belton, Texas, both assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
According to NBC News, Huey joined the Army in February 2014 as a motor transport operator and had been assigned to the unit since February 2022, while Olmstead joined in January 2023 as a warrant officer candidate and had been assigned to the unit since October 2025.
The Army described the helicopter as having 'experienced a mishap' during a maintenance test flight, according to NBC News. A military official told the Associated Press, as reported by The Independent, that the helicopter was undergoing a routine training flight. The official spoke anonymously, citing the ongoing nature of the situation.
No cause of the crash was immediately announced. Fort Hood's criminal investigation division was leading the investigation, according to The Independent. NBC News reported the crash remains under investigation.
The crash ignited a grass fire that grew to approximately 155 acres, according to the Bell County Sheriff's Office as reported by NBC News. Five homes and nine outbuildings were threatened; all but one outbuilding were saved. Fire officials expected to declare the fire 100 percent controlled at approximately 5:00 p.m. Sunday, barring significant flare-ups.
The helicopter did not strike any homes or other structures when it went down, according to Bell County Sheriff's Office spokesman Cliff Coleman, as reported by The Independent. Coleman also described it as 'a violent crash.'
The AH-64 Apache is a twin-engine, four-bladed attack helicopter that has been part of the U.S. military fleet since its first versions were deployed in 1984, according to The Independent. The Army describes it as a highly stable aerial weapons-delivery platform.
Fort Hood covers 214,968 acres, or 336 square miles, and is used to train and deploy heavy forces, according to The Independent.
Where sources differ
- NBC News reported the Army characterized the flight as a 'maintenance test flight,' while The Independent cited an anonymous military official telling the Associated Press it was a 'routine training flight.' The sources do not reconcile these descriptions.
- The precise cause of the crash has not been established by any source.
- It is not confirmed whether the flight's purpose was a maintenance test or routine training, as the two descriptions conflict across sources.
- No timeline for the completion of the crash investigation has been provided.
- The identities of any witnesses or others present at the scene are not established.
- Details about what specifically went wrong with the helicopter have not been disclosed.
- NBC News — original — by Minyvonne Burke
- The Independent — by Jim Vertuno